What If
by fyre-faerie-gyrl
Summary: Ever wonder what would happen if you were to meet the Gboys? After being sucked into a wierd experiment, one girl gets the chance. Please rr and tell me what you think. It's my first fic so please be kind. chapter 16 and 17 are up! FINALLY!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of it's characters, though I wish I did! Warnings: Um, there are none. Other stuff: This is my very first fic. Please read and review and tell me what you think.  
  
What If By: fyre_faerie_gyrl  
  
The alarm clock buzzed for the fifth time. A graceful hand gently picked it up and then promptly hurled it across the room. A young girl sat up and rubbed her eyes and yawned. A waterfall of dark chocolate colored hair covered most of her face. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching as she went, her long dark hair swirling behind her.  
  
"Oh brother. Why do mornings have to start so early anyway? What time is it?" She glanced over at the dethroned alarm clock that was still faithfully buzzing from it's upside down position. It read 7:59 and then almost as though it was getting her back for it's rough treatment earlier it switched to 8:00. Her school happened to begin at 8:15.  
  
"OH MY GOSH! I'M GONNA BE LATE!" She ran swiftly to her closet and threw open the door (which wasn't a very smart idea) and everything from clothes to a rubber chicken fell down on her.  
  
"Ow. I guess I forgot I 'cleaned' my room yesterday." she rubbed her head gingerly as she grabbed a pair of jeans, a white peasant shirt, and a jacket. In less than five minutes she was dressed and running out the door while frantically brushing her hair and shoving her books into her backpack while attempting not to choke on the piece of toast in her mouth. Her aunt just sighed, shook her head, and shut the door behind her.  
  
"If I'm late again Mr. Myers will kill me!" She ran all the way to school, which, thankfully, was only a couple blocks away from her house. Gasping, she ran up the front steps to the school and launched herself through the door.  
  
"Made it!" she laughed as she reached her first class. She was about to open the door when the bell sounded. She froze in disbelief and then fell over.  
  
"Ugh. After all that running." with a deep sigh she opened the door. Mr. Myers glanced up at her and sighed, while gripping the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Just take a seat Miss Kudo." She gave a slight bow of apology before slipping into her desk. Her best friend gave her a reassuring smile before turning back to the teacher. For the next hour the class was subjected to a long lecture of how to treat their school duties with proper respect. They only time the class was really listening or paying attention was when he performed his amazing feat where he put on chapstick while he was still talking. Without even pausing he would pull out chapstick from his pocket, uncap it, apply it, recap it, and place it back in his pocket. The class found it amazing. But that was all that he ever did that was worth their attention. He was one of those teachers who would drone on and on, lose his place, and then start all over again. Everyone sighed with relief when the bell rang.  
  
Once outside the young girl was heavily relieved. Her best friend, Keiko Bandaio, laughed at her and gave her a friendly poke. The girl smiled up at her taller friend and marveled at her ability to make her smile. "So why were you late this time, Lorelei?"  
  
"My alarm clock stopped working.after I smashed it a few times." Keiko rolled her eyes. "I think that might be bad for it."  
  
"Really? Wow.there's a news flash." She slumped down on the closest bench and Keiko just grinned. "What?" Lorelei demanded. Keiko's grin widened.  
  
"You'll see in.3,2,1."  
  
WHAM! Lorelei was knocked off of the bench with a messy haired boy landing on top of her. Keiko was laughing so hard she was red. Lorelei pushed the offender off and stood up.  
  
"Matsu! What is wrong with you?" the boy grinned sheepishly and then picked up his glasses that had been dislodged in the impact. She studied him and sighed. This little kid had always been around ever since she had saved him from receiving a potential beating from the local bully. For some reason bullies did not take well to people smarter than them, especially a genius. Matsu was in the advanced program because he was too smart for normal teachers. Lorelei didn't mind him being around and thought he was adorably cute but she didn't like the fact that he often used her as the guinea pig in his experiments without gaining her consent beforehand.  
  
"I just wanted to see what would happen if a fast moving object, me, were to run into a stationary object, you, without the use of any type of machinery or padding." he explained. For a genius kid, sometimes he was pretty dumb.  
  
"I'll show you what happens." She raised her fists menacingly and the little boy swallowed hard and then ran away. Lorelei would have been right behind him, but Keiko held her back. "Leave him alone. You should be flattered he likes you enough to use you in one of his experiments." Lorelei growled something unintelligible in reply. "Cheer up Lor. Endless Waltz is on tonight remember? How many times have we seen it? Five?" Lorelei smiled.  
  
"And counting! It's not really our fault Keiko. We can't help it if Gundam Wing is the best show ever, can we?" Just then the bell rang.  
  
"See ya!" the two girls said at the same time.  
  
The rest of the day seemed to crawl by but eventually it had to end. Didn't it? Lorelei locked her eyes on the clock just to make sure time continued to move and sighed with relief as the minute hand moved and the bell sounded, signifying the end of another school week. She and Keiko met back the bench so they could walk to Lorelei's house and watch the movie together. When Lorelei arrived at the bench Keiko was smirking and holding up a book and a slip of paper. She held it out to a very puzzled Lorelei. Lorelei took it and glanced down at it. It read:  
  
Lorelei,  
  
I borrowed your Gundam Wing book for my newest experiment. Hope you don't mind. Besides, I left my physics book as collateral so you know I'll give you your book back. Thanks a lot.  
  
Matsu  
  
Lorelei looked at Keiko with an exasperated and defeated look.  
  
"Keiko, I have to go save my book before he disintegrates it or something. You go on ahead to my house and I'll meet you there all right?"  
  
"Okay. That'll give me some time to finish some homework anyway."  
  
"Thanks Keiko."  
  
"Don't mention it. Oh and try not to trip the alarm system again." Lorelei shuddered at the memory. It hadn't blown her up or anything, but it had covered her in thick and gooey blue dye. She was blue for a month. Luckily her principle counted that as a viable excuse for not showing up at school. With a heavy sigh she headed for Matsu's house.  
  
~  
  
Lorelei looked over the huge house looming before her. Then she proceeded down into the underground lab Matsu's parents had built after he had tried to invent a new type of gasoline. When she arrived at the door she knocked. Suddenly, a snakelike tube with a large silver eye on the end shot out at her and leveled itself at her eye level. The eye looked her over and then a red beam shot out and ran over her entire body.  
  
"Access approved, welcome Lorelei." The door swung open and the eye slid back into a slot in the wall.  
  
"Wow. I didn't know Matsu had invented something like that." she mused as she walked through the door," Matsu? Matsu, are you here? Matsu? Hello? Wha? OUCH!" It was dark and she ran into something hard.  
  
"Ow! Where are the lights?" Bright lights flashed on almost as if on cue. Lorelei stared in shock at what she had run into. It was a huge machine at least twice her size and connected to it was a large screen and keyboard.  
  
"Wow. I wonder what it is," she said as she glanced around. As her eyes swept the room she spotted her book lying open under a strange metal tube that came to a dull point. She hurried over and picked up the book. Upon examination it didn't seem damaged at all. She quickly tucked it inside her backpack then Lorelei laid down the physics book on the nearest table and headed for the door. She tugged on it but it wouldn't budge. She tried looking for a button, but there wasn't one.  
  
"Hey! Let me out!" she yelled," come on! Help! Great. Now I'm stuck here until Matsu decides to come. This is just perfect." She sullenly walked over to a chair, sat down and dropped her backpack with a 'thud'. After a few minutes of sulking she got bored. Lorelei looked down at her backpack and pulled out her Gundam Wing book. She shrugged her shoulders, and opened the book. To her surprise, she found another slip of paper with Matsu's handwriting sitting on the first page. It read:  
  
gniw madnug  
  
"G-new mad nug? That's wier." she didn't finish her sentence because the huge machine suddenly hummed to life. She watched in horror as the metal tube with the dull point began to move and then pointed itself directly at her. That's when she noticed it was hollow and that something deep inside it was glowing and getting brighter.  
  
"What's going on?" she whispered in shock. Suddenly the light got blindingly bright and shot towards her. Lorelei shrieked as she felt herself being sucked down. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her body push and pull in all different directions. Just as she was certain she was going to explode that feeling ended and was replaced by a new feeling: free fall.  
  
Her eyes shot open and she saw she was about ten feet above a group of trees and closing. She wrapped her arms over her head and face to protect them and braced herself as much as she could in that split second. Lorelei fell hard through the branches of the trees. Each branch seemed to relish slicing her skin and she tried to curl into a ball. She finally cleared the trees and headed for the ground. 'This is it,' she thought. Whump! Thud! Silence. Lorelei opened her eyes slowly.  
  
"I'm okay," she gasped in disbelief. She heard a dull thud and turned to see her backpack and the book sitting there. She just stared. That's when she realized she had landed on something soft, something that had broken her fall. She rolled onto all fours and then looked down at what she had landed on.  
  
"Omigosh, a person!" She had knocked down the person from behind so the person had landed on their stomach. Lorelei gently rolled the unconscious form onto its back. It was a young man who let out a pained groan but did not come to. A cap covered most of his face and he was dressed in a uniform of some sort. After a short examination she was relieved to find he was okay, just unconscious. Her eyes went to the half- covered face. Out of curiosity she reached over and pulled the cap off and let out a shriek of utter shock and disbelief.  
  
"It can't be.it's impossible." she gasped as her eyes moved over the familiar features of the young man's face and the long chestnut braid draped over his shoulder," D-Duo? But.he's not real.he's." She was silenced by the sound of a gunshot.  
  
~Owari~  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Well what did you think?  
  
Wufei: Why have you only put Duo in it? This is an injustice.  
  
*fyre_faerie_gyrl whacks him*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: You'll be in it later. Now do your job or my next fic will be one where you are locked in a room with Duo and all of his 'toys'.  
  
*Wufei swallows hard*  
  
Wufei: This stupid onna *whack!* ow! I mean, wonderful authoress, would like to thank you for reading her story and hopes that you will read and review.  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Great job! *puts down her mallet* 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of it's characters, though I wish I did! Warnings: Um, there are none. Other stuff: This is my very first fic. Please read and review and tell me what you think.  
What If - Chapter 2 By: fyre_faerie_gyrl  
  
Lorelei literally threw herself to the ground and pressed herself as flat as she could.  
  
'Did I just get shot?' she wondered, 'no I don't feel any pain and there isn't any blood.' She glanced over at the man who couldn't possibly be Duo and saw that there was no blood pooling around him either.  
  
Suddenly a voice rang out:  
  
"Hey I think I heard something over here." Many heavy footsteps started in her direction. It took her less than two seconds to realize a large group of men were coming towards her armed with guns. She looked around and found that to her right there was a thick clump of bushes and quickly made her decision. She scrambled to her feet, lifted the young man, who couldn't possibly be Duo, over her shoulder, and darted into the bushes. Moments later the men whose voices she had heard earlier burst through the other side of the clearing. Lorelei held her breath.  
  
"Now what?" One of the men asked, "We can't let that little braided idiot get away!"  
  
"Let's split up," one suggested, "and if anyone sees anything, discharge your weapon. We'll meet back here in twenty minutes." Footsteps retreated in different directions.  
  
Lorelei suddenly realized she was still holding her breath and gasped for air. After that short spasm she tried to calm down as she went over what had just happened and what she was going to do next. To her, it was obvious that these men were dangerous and they were after the man who couldn't possibly be Duo, or T.M.W.C.P.B.D. for short. Lorelei knew she could get away by herself but it would be wrong to leave T.M.W.C.P.B.D. so defenseless like this. Since she had knocked him out she felt sort of responsible.  
  
'Maybe I could distract them. I know I could outrun them,' she thought, 'running from Keiko after a prank sure keeps you in shape.' She let out a soft chuckle at that but then focused on her new plan. She quietly crawled over to the young man and studied him. Upon closer inspection she noted he was wearing a uniform jacket but he wasn't wearing the uniform pants to match, instead he was wearing a pair of black jeans. You wouldn't really notice this unless you were up close to him though. She glanced down at her own clothing. Her dark navy blue jeans almost matched his but they were slightly lighter.  
  
"Close enough, "she muttered. Gently, she removed his jacket revealing a plain, short sleeved, black t-shirt that flattered his muscular arms. She found herself blushing and she quickly looked away as she unzipped her own jacket and then laid it over his unconscious form. She slipped into his jacket and then reached back and quickly braided her hair that ended at her hips. Finally she put on the cap which she pulled low over her eyes. A dull plodding of footsteps told her that some of the men were not too far off.  
  
'Now,' she thought, 'if I could just get to the other side of the clearing before they spot me, then I will have a head start.' She stood and just as she was about to step from her safe hiding place in the bushes the young man shifted, coughed twice, and groaned.  
  
"Hey he's over there somewhere! Hurry!" one of the men's voices rang out. Lorelei whipped around to glare at the young man who had made the noise and found herself staring into clear cobalt blue eyes. He blinked at her when he noticed how she was dressed and opened his mouth to say something when she silenced him by putting a finger to her lips. He tried to sit up but then he winced in pain and fell back down. She gave him a small smile of apology, which he didn't seem to understand, and then dashed out into the clearing. She stopped smack dab in the middle and gave a loud whistle.  
  
"There he is! In the clearing!" a man shouted. That was all Lorelei needed to hear before dashing into the group of trees opposite the clump of bushes, the armed men hot on her heels. She ran as hard as she could and to her horror watched as bullets shot by her head and embedded themselves into trees or cracking branches in two. The sound of gunshots died down as she gained distance on them. She came to a clearing and glanced back.  
  
'I'm losing them,' she thought happily. SMACK! She collided with something and was thrown backwards from the force. She sat up and looked over at the person she had knocked over. He was dressed in a very gaudy uniform and when the soldiers behind him helped him up he looked angry. Two more soldiers ran over and hauled her to her feet, while keeping a firm grip on both her arms. The men who had been chasing her emerged from the clearing and joined the group of soldiers, except for one who went and whispered something into his commander's ear, who just happened to be the man she had bowled over. He looked at her with his eyes gleaming menacingly.  
  
"So. You thought you could get away did you? Well, I will give you some credit," he sneered at her, "no one has ever escaped from one of our holding blocks before, nor will they ever again." Then he turned to one of the men holding her and said, "Lock him up until we are ready to deal with him." She just stared and thought, 'Is this really happening?' Suddenly something hard and heavy connected with the back of her head and she was plunged into darkness.  
  
~  
  
When Lorelei awoke she found herself in a cell of some sort. It looked like a steel closet that was long enough for her to stretch out in. There was a door in front of her with a very small window that allowed very minimal light. She groaned and rolled onto her stomach. With a great effort she pushed herself into a sitting position. Her head was throbbing and her cuts from falling through the trees stung. (In case you haven't noticed, she wasn't having a good day.)  
  
"Why haven't I woken up from this dream yet?" she said aloud. A chuckle came from the other side of the door. Something clicked and her cell door slowly swung open. A man wearing a white lab coat and a sickening smile stood in the doorway on either side of him stood a guard. She couldn't see their faces because their caps were pulled down, as was hers.  
  
"I would say it is more of a nightmare for you unless you tell us what we want to know," he laughed. Then he turned to the guards and nodded. Both guards entered the cell and pulled her up until she was standing. Then with both guards firmly grasping one of her arms she was made to follow the sinister looking man in the lab coat. They walked down a long corridor and took a right at the end. The man in the lab coat opened the first door to their left and motioned her inside before shutting the door behind Lorelei and the two soldiers who had escorted her there.  
  
"Hello Duo Maxwell. Glad you could join us for a little chat." At the mention of Duo Maxwell's name the guard on her right seemed to tense. But she guessed it was because Duo struck fear in the hearts of many. He was the Shinigami after all. She brushed off these thoughts as she looked up at the man who addressed her. He was dressed up in clothes that looked as though they were from the late 1700s. She almost burst out laughing when she saw him but didn't when she noticed the burly man standing beside him with a very serious look on his face. When the George Washington wannabe noticed her looking at the other man he smiled.  
  
"Oh. Have you met my friend Schmerz? He will be your playmate, for the time being, while we discuss the possibility of you joining our cause or at least telling us where the other Gundam Pilots are. If you help us you will be revered as our hero and our liberator from this fake peace, "his face suddenly became grim, "should you refuse to cooperate Schmerz will help persuade you. Now what is your answer? Will you take my offer?" Lorelei froze. What could she say? She was being asked about the whereabouts of people who didn't exist. They are fictional characters, why would this guy be asking about them? They aren't real. Are they?  
  
"I take it from your silence that you refuse. Very well then." The man snapped his fingers and in the blink of an eye Schmerz was twisting her arm behind her so hard that she cried out in pain.  
  
"Last chance," her captor stated. When she didn't answer he shook hi head, "Fine." He raised his fingers to snap again when Schmerz was suddenly knocked backwards by a round house kick from the guard that had previously been holding her right arm. The girl crumpled to the ground cradling her arm close to her chest.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" her captor demanded.  
  
"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit a girl? I'm sure attempting to break her arm is in the same category." Lorelei jerked her head up at the sound of his voice.  
  
"Duo?" Duo pulled off his cap and his braid tumbled down.  
  
"In the flesh," he smiled as he helped her up, "are you okay?"  
  
"Yes, I."  
  
"Maxwell? How is this possible?" Duo turned toward the now infuriated man with a huge grin on his face. He reached over and pulled Lorelei's hat off of her head.  
  
"Maybe you should look closer at your prisoners. Or at least dress like a normal person. Your call." The man looked positively purple.  
  
"Schmerz!" he cried. Schmerz had long since recovered from Duo's first blow and now stood menacingly over him. Duo got into a fighting position but never got the chance to strike because Schmerz's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell forward. Revealing Lorelei still in the striking position where she had hit him in the back of the neck. Duo grinned.  
  
"Thanks." Schmerz's master just stood there in shock before whipping out a gun and aiming it directly at Duo. He starting to pull the trigger when the gun was shot out of his hand along with his trigger finger. Lorelei turned to look at the other guard who's gun was still smoking.  
  
"How do you do that Heero?" Duo asked.  
  
"Hn," was his reply as Heero pulled his cap off and reloaded his gun. Lorelei just stood there frozen in disbelief. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming, it didn't work. They were still there. She stood gaping at them while Duo made sure Schmerz was out cold. The other man who had lost his finger fainted from the sight of blood. Heero turned to face Duo.  
  
"Duo?"  
  
"Yeah Hee-chan?" Heero's eyes seemed to flash at the name but he kept his face expressionless.  
  
"You already rigged this base's artillery and mobile suit storage blocks with explosives correct?"  
  
"Yup," Duo said happily as he held up the detonator, "let's go. We might even make it back to the safe house in time for dinner."  
  
"Hn." Duo turned to Lorelei and held out his arm.  
  
"Shall we?" She took his arm and the small group ran into the long corridor, guns drawn.  
  
~owari~  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Yay! Finally! I'm done with the second chapter!  
  
Duo: Yeah! *he applauds*  
  
Fyre_faerie_girl: *bows* Thank you, thank you. Okay Duo, do your thing.  
  
Duo: Huh? Oh right! Fyre_faerie_gyrl would like to thank you for reading and would appreciate it if you would review too.  
  
Fyre_faerie_girl: Please review. I don't have that many!  
  
Wufei: *cough* Two! *cough*  
  
*Fyre_faerie_girl sics Duo on him*  
  
*She steps forward and talks over Wufei's screams*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Anyway, thanks again! Until next time.  
  
*waves* 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!  
  
Warnings: Um, there are none.  
  
Other stuff: I want to thank those people who reviewed my story! You guys are the best! I was so excited that I got reviews that I did the happy dance. (Really I did!) And now that I've finished embarrassing myself, let's get on to Misura's question. No, this is not a real episode. My story comes after the Endless Waltz. Now they are just trying to keep the peace. ^_^ Okay have fun reading.  
What If - Chapter 3 By: fyre_faerie_gyrl  
  
Bullets seemed to be coming from every direction. No matter which way they turned, the soldiers were everywhere. Someone must have sounded the alarm. Heero and Duo returned fire but two against fifteen were never good odds unless you were one of the fifteen. Suddenly Heero whipped out an odd little metal ball and gave it to Duo. Duo blinked and looked at it. Then a wide grin spread across his face.  
  
"Alright! Tear gas!" he cheered as he pressed something on the side of the ball and chucked it around the corner at the soldiers, he then turned to Lorelei, "Hold your breath and cover your eyes, mouth, and nose." She nodded and watched Heero leap to his feet and sprint towards the gas. Duo grabbed her arm and dragged her along with him as he quickly followed in Heero's tracks. She barely had time to suck in and cover her eyes before they entered the gas. She was led blindly through the mess of confused soldiers who were in a great deal of pain. She heard guns go off as the soldiers shot blindly hoping to get a lucky shot. Lorelei felt Duo waver once, probably because she was so slow and almost tripped but that was about it.  
  
They ran swiftly past and after a while Lorelei couldn't stand it anymore, she had to take a breath. She stopped running and gasped for air. To her surprise she heard laughter. She opened her eyes in shock.  
  
"Y-you were still holding your breath?" Duo asked incredulously. Then he burst into another fit of laughter. She felt a blush creep over her face in embarrassment. Lorelei glanced over at Heero and noticed that he was trying to keep from grinning as well. Duo stopped laughing and threw an arm around her shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry about it. If anything I'm impressed, you held your breath for at least two minutes." She looked up at him and into his eyes. He grinned which caused her to blush an even a deeper shade of red and look away. Finally, Heero spoke up.  
  
"Duo, come over here and get this shuttle working. I'll go take care of opening the doors." Duo nodded and released Lorelei to complete his task as Heero sprinted toward two very large doors. Lorelei looked around and noticed they were in a hangar. Suddenly a loud bang rang out. She whipped around and noticed a thick metal door behind her with smoke seeping from the edges. Heero glanced up from where he was.  
  
"They are trying to blast their way in. Duo?" A clank then a curse was heard and then the engine started. Duo appeared from inside the shuttle rubbing his head.  
  
"Ow. All done. You?" Heero nodded and headed for the shuttle. Duo turned to Lorelei, "C'mon. We have to get outta here before they get in." Lorelei followed him quickly into the aircraft. When she got inside she was surprised to find that it was completely empty inside except for four seats near the front (including the two for the pilot and co-pilot), four cots connected to the wall in the back, and a washroom in the very back. The two Gundam pilots were already seated in the cockpit so Lorelei sat in the closest seat and strapped herself in.  
  
"Hang on to something!" Duo cried as Heero pulled out a detonator and pressed the button. The doors before them exploded and opened wide as Duo drove the plane out of the hangar. They were fired at from what seemed like every direction. Lorelei looked at the two Gundam pilots. They didn't seem phased at all and they continued to guide the plane towards the runway. When they gained enough speed they took off. Then Duo pulled out another detonator and pressed it. Lorelei felt a huge explosion that shook the entire shuttle and caused Lorelei to grip the seat harder. After the shaking had stopped she stole a look out the window and gasped. The entire base they had taken off from had been leveled.  
  
"Dun, dun, dun!" Duo sang, "once again we have kept the peace and saved the world from another psycho group of people bent on taking over the world!" He looked at Lorelei," Um, you can let go of the seat now." Lorelei blinked and looked down at her hands. She had been gripping the seat so hard her knuckles had turned white. She slowly released the seat and sighed at her uncanny ability to embarrass herself no matter what the situation was. Heero finished typing in something and then stood up.  
  
" I'm going to go and make sure the damage to the shuttle is only minor." He walked past Lorelei and opened up a trap door behind her seat and dropped through it. Leaving Lorelei and Duo alone. Duo turned to face her, his expression was a slightly concerned one.  
  
"Are you okay? You look a little pale." She shook her head.  
  
"I'm fine. It's just that, well, I've never been in an explosion before or been shot at," she said slowly. 'Or talked to a fictional character,' she thought. He nodded and turned around again. She stared at the back of his head, 'Come to think of it, did he look a little pale?' she wondered. Heero's monotone voice rang out.  
  
"Duo, I could use a hand." Duo gasped audibly.  
  
"Heero is asking for my help? As in me helping him? I think I'm gonna faint." Lorelei giggled.  
  
"Omae o korosu." Duo gulped.  
  
"Okay, okay I'm coming." Duo pressed a few buttons and stood up. Lorelei studied him. He looked decidedly pale. She noticed he was using the chair for support.  
  
"Duo?" she ventured. He made eye contact with her and then looked down. He was holding his side. Then he collapsed. Lorelei unbuckled her seat belt as fast as she could and then knelt beside Duo and lifted him into a sitting position. He groaned and looked up at her sheepishly.  
  
"I guess one of those tearful goons got me back there." He chuckled and then winced. She looked down at his hand, which was still glued to his side. She tried to pry it off but he refused to move his hand. He kept on insisting it was just a scratch and all he needed was a little rest. She frowned for a moment when she realized this was a no win situation. Lorelei thought for a second and then grinned. He looked up at her with a bewildered expression. She just smiled sweetly and then proceeded to tickle him mercilessly. His eyes widened in horror and then he began to laugh and try to fight her off, but that didn't work very well considering he could only use one hand.  
  
"Ack! No! Stop! Ha, ha, ha! This isn't fair! Heero help!" He finally let go of his side to fight harder and in a swift motion she pinned his arms beneath her and leaned over to examine his wound. Upon closer inspection she noted that the bullet had gone straight through. She also saw that he had lost a lot of blood.  
  
"Why didn't you say you were hurt before?" Lorelei asked, "You need to go to a hospital." Duo's eyes widened.  
  
"NO! No hospitals! Doctors are evil! They give you shots in your rear end and nasty tasting medicine, in fact I think they all meet up and decide which medicines taste the worst and what shots hurt the most just for fun! They're evil I tell you! I will not go to a hospital! You can't make me!" Duo had begun to flail his limbs in an attempt to escape her hold. Unfortunately for him she was trained in Judo since she was a little girl and she knew how to pin someone. Heero poked his head up from the trap door and surveyed the scene in one glance.  
  
"Then you will go see Sally." He countered.  
  
"NANI? No way! She takes personal delight in torturing me! Ever since I filled her face wash bottle with Rogaine she has relished giving me my vaccinations. No one can ever take a joke," he sighed and then grinned, "including you, Hee-chan." Heero growled. Duo swallowed hard but he kept his face in the grin. The two boys were locked in a staring contest. After about five minutes Duo yelped and began rubbing his eyes vigorously and blinking repeatedly. Heero smirked.  
  
"I win." He then addressed Lorelei," Do you know first aid?" Lorelei nodded. "Do you think you can handle patching his wound for now?" Her eyes flicked over at Duo for a moment, she blushed, and then looked down and nodded. Heero gave a curt 'Hn' and then disappeared once more into the space below. Lorelei watched him go and then looked back at Duo and gasped. He had fallen unconscious, from the blood loss most likely, and more was beginning to pool. She decided she would have to stop the blood flow fast.  
  
Lorelei gently lifted him into one of the cots. She then gingerly removed his shirt by first, pulling his arms through the sleeves and then pulling it up and over his head. Lorelei looked at the wound once more. It was pretty clean except for all of the blood. She looked around and found the first aid kit in a box, with a large red cross, on the wall. She opened it and found plenty of bandages, gauze, cloths, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. 'No peroxide?' she gasped as she lifted the alcohol bottle 'I can't use this, it will sting so much, but I have to disinfect the wound.' She gulped and then slowly pulled out a cloth and doused it with the alcohol. She took a deep breath and then in a quick movement pushed it up against the bullet wound. Duo's eyes flew open.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
~Owari~  
  
*Curtains open*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Oooooooo! We have curtains now! *notices audience* Oops. *ahem* Hi! It's me again!  
  
*She drags Duo out with her*  
  
Duo: *He rubs his side* Ow! Did you have to let her use the alcohol? You are the authoress you know! Did you have to be so mean? *He sniffles*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Don't be such a baby! Besides it's just a story! You know I love you! *Glomps Duo*  
  
*Trowa walks out and raises an eyebrow*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Oh hey Trowa. Duo is a little busy at the moment. Could you take over?  
  
*Trowa nods*  
  
Trowa: ..  
  
*He bows and walks away*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Um.for all you people who don't understand 'Trowa speak' he just said that I (I being me, fyre_faerie_gyrl, although Trowa would like to thank you too! ^_^) would like to thank all of you for reading my story so far. Please review and have a great day. Thank you. (This is in monotone cause Trowa speaks in monotone most of the time. Although he does laugh at Heero's corny jokes.^_^)  
  
*fyre_faerie_gyrl bows just like Trowa*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Okay. Hope you liked my story and as Trowa said, please review and tell me what you think! Thanks and until next time, *fyre_faerie_gyrl jumps behind a screen and jumps out again in a superhero costume* I'm fyre_faerie_gyrl!  
  
*Duo follows suit*  
  
Duo: And I'm Shinigami!  
  
Both: And together we're.  
  
Wufei: Total losers.  
  
*Curtains close on the sound of Wufei getting horribly beaten, I mean, uh, played with. Yeah.* 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!  
  
Warnings: Watch out for falling cows.  
  
Other stuff: Thank you to all of you who have reviewed so far! ^_^  
  
What If - Chapter 4  
  
By: Fyre_faerie_gyrl  
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" Duo screamed for about ten seconds before passing out once again. Lorelei stood in shock, she knew it was going to hurt but she didn't think he'd scream that way.  
  
She felt as though she had been killing him or something. She stared for a few more seconds and then snapped out of it and finished wiping away the blood. When she was done she gently wrapped his wound.  
  
Just as she was finishing up Heero appeared from below. He shut the trap door and then walked over to Duo's bedside. Heero looked him over, gave a short nod, and then walked over and sat in the pilot seat.  
  
She watched as he reached down beside his seat and lifted up something.  
  
"My backpack!" she exclaimed happily. He gave another nod and tossed it toward her. She caught it but the momentum of the very heavy backpack sent her on a one way trip to a sore rump.  
  
"Ouch." Heero raised an eyebrow at her and she found herself blushing again as she inquired, "How did you find it?"  
  
"I didn't. Duo did." Heero answered before turning back to the controls.  
  
"Well, thank you for saving me," she said quietly as Duo shifted beside her.  
  
"Hn." Was all she got from Heero.  
  
"Hey what about me? I saved you too!" the now wide-awake Duo pointed out. Lorelei smiled brightly at him.  
  
"Thank you for saving me, Duo." To her surprise, Duo blushed, which made her smile more. He then laughed.  
  
"Don't mention it! You saved me first after all. Um," he looked confused," Where did you come from? You kinda fell on me, were you climbing trees or something?" Lorelei looked away.  
  
'How can I explain this without them coming to the conclusion that I'm insane?' she wondered, 'Although I think I've already certified my insanity by believing that I'm actually talking to a gundam pilot.' Something waved in front of her face. She blinked and focused on the object, otherwise known as Duo's hand.  
  
"Hello? Hello? Come back to the Earth sphere! Can you read me?" Lorelei wished she could disappear. Duo laughed again. She looked at Duo and their eyes locked. 'He has the most beautiful eyes,' she thought, 'stop it Lorelei! He is a fictional character! Snap out of it! Oh wow. His eyes sure are blue.' A beeping sound brought her to her senses. She tore her eyes away from his to locate the source.  
  
"What is it Heero?" Duo asked.  
  
"We are nearing the safehouse," Heero stated, "I alerted Sally to your injury. She should be there by the time we get there."  
  
"What? Did you not listen to a word I said before?" Duo flipped onto his back and moaned, "Oh no! I'm gonna die!"  
  
"Hn." Lorelei blinked.  
  
"What does 'Hn' mean exactly? I've always wanted to ask you that." Heero whipped around to stare at her in surprise. Duo started laughing hysterically. Lorelei swallowed hard when she realized she was thinking aloud again.  
  
"Did I just say that out loud?" she laughed nervously, "Never mind. Forget I said that." Heero shot her a weird look before turning back to the controls in order to maneuver the plane to land. Duo stood up shakily and sat down in the co-pilots seat while still wiping away tears of laughter and giggling every once and a while. Heero shot him a death glare and then focused on landing. Lorelei went and strapped herself in and then glanced out the window. To her dismay, she didn't see an airport, all she saw were trees and a large clearing below them. Heero headed the plane toward the clearing. Lorelei gripped her seat. With a thud the plane touched ground and skidded to a halt. Heero turned the plane off.  
  
"Sorry." Heero mumbled. Lorelei looked at Duo. He had been gripping his seat as hard as she had. She turned and watched the no-so-perfect soldier get up, open the door, and jump out onto solid ground. Lorelei unbuckled her seat belt and went to get her backpack. She retrieved it and then headed for the door. Duo slowly stood from his seat and then walked over to the door and hopped out. She heard a dull thud and when she looked down from the door Duo was crumpled on the ground. She threw her backpack out and then dropped down beside him.  
  
"Are you alright?" she said worriedly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm just a little tired is all." Heero walked over and threw one of Duo's arms around his neck and helped him to stand. He then began to leave. Lorelei quickly threw her pack over shoulder and hurried after them. They walked for about a mile before they came to a huge two-story house surrounded by a huge amount of landscape in the middle of the woods. She gaped at it. It was even bigger than Matzu's house. She heard a door slam and looked over to see four people running towards them. Duo raised his head.  
  
"Eek! Sally's coming! Heero let go of me!" Duo yelled as he struggled feebly in Heero's grip. The people finally got to them and surrounded Duo. Lorelei backed up a little. No one had really noticed her yet; they were all too concerned with Duo's well being. She studied the new comers and then she gasped aloud. To her disbelief, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei and Sally, plus Duo and Heero were standing before her. She once again tried pinching herself to wake up from what had to be a dream, but once again it failed to work.  
  
"Duo! Heero!" Quatre cried, "I'm so glad you are okay!" He enveloped them in a hug. Trowa nodded in agreement. Wufei stood back with his arms crossed and looked them over. Duo looked over at him and one of his trademark grins spread across his face.  
  
"Wu-man! Did you miss me?" Wufei scowled.  
  
"Maxwell, I told you not to call me that," He said in a menacing tone.  
  
"So you missed me? I knew it! No one can resist the Maxwell charm! Not even Wu-man!" Wufei started to go for his throat but Sally got in the way. Duo visibly paled.  
  
"Hullo Sally," he said fearfully.  
  
"Hello Duo," she said with a gleam in her eye as she looked down at his bandaged side, "Hmm. I think you'll probably need stitches." Duo gulped. Then he looked around, imploring someone to help him with his eyes. Wufei grinned at his predicament. Duo made a mental note to get him later.  
  
"Let's get you inside," Quatre offered in an attempt to ease the tension. They started to head inside when Quatre noticed Lorelei, who had slowly been backing away. She still didn't believe this was real.  
  
"Who's that?" he asked. They all turned to look at her. She felt the blood drain from her face. She had tried pinching herself but that hadn't worked, and she didn't have any cold water to douse herself with, so she did the next best thing: she fainted.  
  
~Owari~  
  
*The curtains begin to open, but they get stuck in the process*  
  
*Fyre_faerie_gyrl disentangles herself from the curtains and steps forward*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: What is going on here? Those curtains are brand new!  
  
*A guy with really big headphones walks over, studies the curtains, and nods*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: What?  
  
Guy with really big head phones: They are broken alright.  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Thank you Captain Obvious.  
  
Guy with really big headphones: Who told you my secret identity? Now what'll I do? I have to have my mom make me a new costume now. *He sticks out his tongue at Fyre_faerie_gyrl* Thanks a lot. *He storms off*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Ok. That was a little scary. *looks at audience* Oh almost forgot! I wanted to thank you guys for reading my story and would like you to review if you please. Thank you! *she starts to leave*  
  
*Duo runs onstage*  
  
Duo: Wait! You can't leave yet!  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Why not?  
  
Duo: You haven't bashed Wufei yet!  
  
*Audience gasps*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: But he didn't do anything.  
  
*Audience is silent and in shock*  
  
*Duo pouts and then pulls hard on the curtains to make a space for him to leave through*  
  
*Suddenly a loud yell of surprise is heard and then Wufei plummets from above and lands on the stage with a sickening crack*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: What were you doing up there Wufei?  
  
*Wufei starts twitching*  
  
Duo: He's the one who broke the curtains!  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Wufei! You did that on purpose didn't you?  
  
Duo: How could you Wu-man? *notices the twitching* Um, Wu-man?  
  
*Wufei is still twitching*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Uh oh. I think he's really hurt. Um, can we get Sally over here?  
  
*A siren sounds and lights flash. Sally comes running up making siren noises and with a flashing light strapped to her head*  
  
*She pulls out a huge syringe and administers it to Wufei*  
  
Wufei: YEEOWCH!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
*He runs off the stage gripping his rear end*  
  
Duo: That's what he gets for trying to play a joke on you. Besides, he should leave pranks to the professionals. Hey, that gives me an idea!  
  
*He grins and runs off*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Uh oh. He had that diabolical grin on. I better go before he tries to steal Heero's laptop and mess with it again. Last time he was in a coma for a week. Gotta go, see you later! Bye! *ahem* *She dons her heroine costume* HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY!!!  
  
*Attempts to fly off, falls flat on her face, gets up, and runs the rest of the way off of the stage* 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!  
  
Warnings: Not reviewing a story is a serious health risk. (o_~)  
  
Other stuff: Thank you to all of you who have reviewed so far! ^_^  
What If - Chapter 5  
  
By: Fyre_faerie_gyrl  
*~* = dream sequence  
  
Lorelei could hear voices around her and her head hurt. The last thing she remembered was someone lifting her up before she completely lost consciousness. The voices sounded a little louder now, and she slowly opened her eyes, but then she quickly shut them. It seemed as though she had just looked into the sun. She opened her eyes until they were narrow slits, just enough to see and just enough so that the 'accursed light', as she now called it, would not blind her. A young man with shiny black hair and onyx eyes was leaning over her, only a few inches away from her to be exact.  
  
"Hey I think she's waking up," came a voice with a slight Chinese accent. Lorelei's eyes shot open and she did what she had always been trained to do if ever a strange man were to be too close to her. She curled her fist and hit him square in the nose. She watched as he cried out in pain and grabbed his nose. She saw more movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned quickly to face a young blond who looked as though he was trying to keep from laughing. He quickly went over to the injured young man's side but it was obvious he didn't know how to help him.  
  
Lorelei studied the two men. She knew them. 'Oh no! It's Quatre and Wufei! I'm still dreaming!' she thought unhappily, 'and I just broke Wufei's nose. Great. Now I'm going to die too.' Then, as though to confirm her thoughts, Wufei looked up at her, still clutching his nose, and shot what she was sure was one of his best glares of death. She swallowed hard. Just then Heero and Trowa appeared in the doorway, Heero was holding a soda in one hand.  
  
"What happened?" Trowa asked as Heero took a sip. Quatre turned to face them, still trying to keep a straight face.  
  
"She broke his nose," Quatre replied calmly. Heero was so surprised he gave a start and squirted soda out of his mouth and nose. The now dripping wet Trowa glared calmly at the Japanese youth. Quatre could stand it no longer. He burst into a bout of hysterical laughter, completely oblivious to the glares he was receiving and how he was quite possibly endangering his well being. Lorelei sat speechless as all this was going on around her and watched as Trowa placidly took the soda and dumped what was left of it over Heero's head. Quatre saw this as well and continued to laugh as he doubled over and gripped his sides as though if he let go he would split in half.  
  
Lorelei would have joined Quatre in the laughter but she was still worried about the possible beating from Wufei. His face was now in a deep scowl and he had blood seeping through his fingers, in other words, he was not a happy camper. As Lorelei looked at the young men's faces, she could tell someone was going to get it. A yell of extreme terror brought them to their senses as a woman's voice rang out.  
  
"Duo! Stop being such a baby! Hold still! This won't hurt, much! Hey! Wha? AHHHH!!!!!!!!!" After that they heard a few thuds, footsteps rapidly pounding down the hallway, and then a door slam. Silence then reigned.  
  
Soon after, Sally appeared in the doorway looking flushed and slightly annoyed. She surveyed the scene before her and locked her eyes on Lorelei. Sally looked her up and down and then glared at Wufei who was still shooting daggers with his eyes, lucky for her that was just figurative speaking.  
  
"Knock it off Wufei," Sally scolded, "You obviously surprised her. You should know better than that." Sally walked over to Lorelei's bedside. "Are you okay?" Lorelei nodded. Wufei just growled and muttered something about stupid onnas sticking together. That comment earned him a slap in the back of the head from Sally. Then she addressed the four boys.  
  
"Quatre, you take Wufei and get his nose patched up. Heero, come help me get Duo out the bathroom. He's locked himself in again," she sighed," He really doesn't want any needles near him, who'd have ever believed he was a Gundam pilot if they saw him like this. Oh well. Trowa?" Trowa looked up. "Please dry off and then stay here with her, okay?" Trowa's eyes flickered to Lorelei for a moment and then he nodded.  
  
They all left to complete their tasks. Lorelei was only alone for a minute while Trowa went and got a towel. He came back in trying to get the soda off, but the soda was partially dry so it kept making the towel stick to him. Lorelei was inwardly laughing because the stickiness from the soda left some towel fuzz on his cheek from his attempts to wipe the soda off. Finally he tossed the towel aside in resignation and resolved to just wait until he had the chance to shower. He sat in a chair that was by the door and just looked at her. Lorelei unconsciously squirmed under his stare. She finally got up the nerve to stare back when a huge crash sounded and another yell of terror echoed down the hall followed by many shouts of protest mingled with fear and anger.  
  
"Leggo of me Heero! Help! Argh! Leggo! I swear I'll get you back for this! No! AHH!!! She's gonna...OW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Silence ensued. Lorelei glanced over at Trowa who must have seen the horrified look on her face, because he then offered her a gentle smile.  
  
"Don't worry. He's not dead. Sally just gave him a sedative to make him calm down so she can give him the stitches he needs to heal properly," Trowa explained softly. Lorelei nodded and gave him a warm smile in return for his efforts. She now knew why her friend Keiko liked Trowa so much. He was very sensitive about other people's feelings, though he hardly ever showed emotion himself. She wondered if his sensitivity came from having a sister.  
  
After about an hour Quatre appeared once again in the doorway to her room carrying a tray of food. She and Trowa had been chatting about totally random subjects, such as the perils of being a target in a funny costume, when Quatre arrived so they only noticed him when he cleared his throat rather loudly.  
  
"I thought you guys might be hungry," he explained as he set the tray in the bed. As if on cue, her stomach growled loud enough to rival Trowa's lion friend. She was not alone though, Trowa's stomach echoed hers, although nowhere near as loud. She grinned at him and he smirked back. 'If this wasn't some insane hallucination I am having, I think I could be really good friends with Trowa, 'Lorelei thought to herself. Quatre let out a small chuckle and then headed for the door, when his stomach let out a roar. The room's occupants were in a stunned silence for about ten seconds before they burst into uncontrollable laughter.  
  
Grinning sheepishly, Quatre resigned himself to eating lunch with them.  
  
~  
  
After having a fun afternoon listening to Trowa and Quatre talk, Lorelei felt rather tired. The two boys left the room and she fell asleep almost immediately.  
  
*~* "Lorelei? Where are you? Lor? Hello?" Lorelei blinked and rubbed her eyes hard. Keiko was still standing there, searching for her.  
  
"Keiko!" Lorelei shrieked as she ran with her arms wide to envelop her friend in a hug. When she reached her friend she threw her arms around her and found herself to be still moving. She fell flat on her face. Lorelei whipped around. Keiko was still looking for her. Lorelei jumped to her feet and ran to her friend's side.  
  
"Keiko! I'm right here!" She yelled as she tried to grab her friend's shoulder. To her horror, her arm went straight through her Keiko's body. Lorelei yanked her hand back.  
  
"Keiko, what's going on?" Lorelei gasped as her friend stopped and stared right at her. Lorelei stared back and sighed with relief.  
  
"You can see me now right?" Lorelei asked softly. Keiko didn't reply and continued to train her eyes on Lorelei. Suddenly, someone ran straight through Lorelei. Lorelei watched as her aunt ran up to her friend.  
  
"Did you find anything?" Her aunt asked with a hopeful note in her voice. Keiko shook her head sadly. "Oh I'm so worried, " her aunt said, "Where could she be?" Tears ran in tiny rivers down her cheeks, mirroring the one's on Lorelei's. Lorelei reached out to comfort her aunt, but she seemed so far away. Every step she took made her goal seem to get farther and farther away. Eventually she could not see them anymore and she was left in darkness. Lorelei dropped to her knees and cried into her hands.  
  
"Hey. Don't cry. It'll be okay, I'll help you," came a kind voice that was so familiar. Lorelei looked up and found herself staring into those cobalt blue eyes she knew so well.  
  
"Duo?" Lorelei ventured. A grin was her answer as she took his now outstretched hand. "But, how can you help me?" Duo's expression suddenly darkened. Lorelei released his hand. He looked surprised at her but his arm dropped back to his side. He looked a little hurt as he disappeared before her eyes.  
  
"Wait!" Lorelei cried. Suddenly, a loud ominous crack sounded, and the floor beneath her shattered like glass. Lorelei felt herself plummeting once again.  
  
*~*  
  
Lorelei awoke with a gasp. She looked around with wide eyes. It was dark out and according to the clock it was 11:45. 'It was just a dream,' she thought as she sighed with relief. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She tiptoed over to her door and slowly opened it. Luckily it was well oiled so it didn't make any noise. She snuck out into the hallway and down the stairs. Lorelei had no idea where she was going or why, but she was feeling compelled to go downstairs.  
  
At the bottom of the stairs there were two sliding doors. They were open slightly and there was a beam of light splayed across the floor from the small opening. Lorelei crept up to the crack and peered through it. Before her was a sitting room, with a bunch of lush furniture, and sitting in the room was the Gundam pilots, including Duo.  
  
Duo was shooting continuous evil glares at Heero, who seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. A very sullen Wufei had his nose bandaged up and he looked rather strange with this giant white thing protruding from his nose. Trowa was sipping a drink and Quatre was sitting there fidgeting. It was obvious that something was troubling him. Duo took a break from trying to prove that looks could kill and looked at Quatre.  
  
"Something wrong Quat?" Duo asked. Quatre stiffened.  
  
"Well," he said slowly, "the girl upstairs..."  
  
"What about her?" Duo snapped. Quatre looked really guilty.  
  
"What do we do with her?" Quatre asked quietly. Duo froze.  
  
"What do you mean?" Duo demanded. He looked at the others, "Are you just going to toss her out or something?"  
  
"No," Quatre said quickly, "I didn't mean that. I just meant..." Quatre looked down sadly. Duo's face softened.  
  
"Sorry Q-man. I didn't mean to jump on you like that. It's just that I don't want anything to happen to that girl. She saved my life after all," Duo explained. Quatre smiled knowingly.  
  
"Duo, she is welcome here as long as she wants," Quatre said with a chuckle. Trowa spoke up.  
  
"I believe Quatre was talking about before were security reasons," he stated, "she already knows we're Gundam pilots right?" Duo nodded. "Then I think the question is 'can she be trusted?'"  
  
"Of course she can!" Duo affirmed. Trowa nodded.  
  
"I agree," Trowa said.  
  
"I think she's a very kind person who can be trusted as well," Quatre offered. Wufei growled.  
  
"What do you mean? You don't know anything about this onna! For all we know, she could be some crazy person who just happens to like climbing trees near rebel bases," Wufei pointed out. Lorelei felt her cheeks grow hot.  
  
"But she's my crazy person!" Duo protested, "You just don't want to have to face the one girl who whomped you good." Wufei looked murderous. Quatre cleared his throat.  
  
"What do you think Heero?" Quatre questioned. Heero looked up.  
  
"I think we should ask her opinion," Heero stated calmly, "What do you think Miss?" They all followed Heero's gaze to the sliding doors. Duo jumped to his feet and opened the doors wide. Lorelei felt rooted to the spot. But then she found her voice and bowed while keeping her eyes on the ground.  
  
"I would like it very much if I could stay here for a while," Lorelei almost whispered. Duo cheered.  
  
"Yes! She's staying!" he cried happily. Then he took hold of her arm, "C'mon Crazie, back to bed, you need your rest! It's almost midnight!" Lorelei couldn't help but smile as she was dragged out of the room and up the stairs. Duo escorted her to her room before turning and heading back down the hall to his own room.  
  
"Night Crazie!" Duo called.  
  
"Night Baka!" Lorelei returned as she shut the door of her room on his stunned expression.  
  
~Owari~  
  
*curtains open*  
  
fyre_faerie_gyrl: Yes! They work again! *happy dance*  
  
*audience stares*  
  
fyre_faerie_gyrl: *laughs nervously* *clears throat* So, I would like take this time to thank everyone for reading and reviewing. Thank you! ^_^ I also....  
  
*Duo runs by, being chased by Heero*  
  
*Duo does a U-turn and runs back over to fyre_faerie_gyrl and hides behind her*  
  
*Heero stops in front of her*  
  
Heero: Move.  
  
*fyre_faerie_gyrl tries to move but Duo is holding her in place*  
  
fyre_faerie_gyrl: I can't! *Heero's face darkens* Um...what did he do anyway?  
  
*Duo laughs*  
  
Duo: I put a picture of Relena posing and waving at Heero constantly on his laptop. He almost went insane for a second. Well, actually he's still insane, and now he's trying to kill me!  
  
*Heero whips out the laptop and holds it up for her to see*  
  
fyre_faerie_gyrl: Woah! *looks away from defaced laptop* I can get it off.  
  
*Heero hands her the laptop with an incredulous look on his face*  
  
*fyre_faerie_gyrl stares at the keyboard for a second and then touches a button*  
  
*the screen goes blank and Heero takes back the laptop with a look of admiration...*  
  
*....then the laptop blows up in his face*  
  
*Duo and fyre_faerie_gyrl cling to each other for a second and then run away really fast*  
  
fyre_faerie_gyrl: Gotta go folks! My life is at stake! See ya!  
  
Audience: Wouldn't want to be ya!  
  
*Wufei hears that and cackles, so fyre_faerie_gyrl whacks him as she runs by him*  
  
(What? Did you think I'd forget? o_~) 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!  
  
Warnings: Not reviewing a story is a serious health risk. (o_~)  
  
Other stuff: In answer to Vic's question, no, I do not hate Wufei! How could I hate one of the G-boys??? It's just that he is so much fun to play with! *grins at Wufei* *Wufei swallows hard* ^_^  
What If - Chapter 6  
  
By: Fyre_faerie_gyrl  
  
The next morning Lorelei woke from her slumber to the sound of a girlish shriek and pans hitting a wall. She jumped out of bed and hurried down the stairs. The sounds seemed to be coming from her right so she ran down the hall but was almost instantly plowed over by Duo who was sprinting from the room two doors ahead. From her new position on the ground she watched as a pot flew overhead. Lorelei quickly pushed Duo off and stood up.  
  
"What's going on? And was that shriek from Quatre?" Lorelei demanded. She wasn't very happy about being knocked flat on her back this early in the day, and the tone of her voice and her question caused Duo to look very sheepish.  
  
"I kinda tried to cook myself some breakfast this morning and well...GET DOWN!" Duo yelled as he yanked her back down to the ground, and Lorelei watched as yet another pot flew by. A short scuffle was heard followed by angry protests.  
  
"I've told him a thousand times, DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING IN THE KITCHEN!!!" came Quatre's enraged voice.  
  
"I'm sure he didn't mean it," Trowa countered softly, and Lorelei snorted. 'Now this is a switch,' she thought, 'Quatre is on the warpath instead of being the pacifier. Man. Duo must have done something horrible.'  
  
"DUO COME BACK HERE!!!" Quatre bellowed. Duo paled.  
  
"Uh, gotta go! Bye Crazie!" Duo jumped to his feet and ran down the hall. Lorelei heard a door slam. She sighed and shook her head. 'He's just as I would imagine he'd be, he's just like me.' Lorelei sighed again and walked cautiously up to the kitchen door and peeked in. She felt her mouth drop open; it was even worse than she thought. The pots on the stove were boiled over and burned and it looked as though they had caught fire, but someone put it out. There were cooking ingredients all over the kitchen, including the floor, walls, and ceiling. And to top it all off, there were dirty dishes scattered throughout.  
  
Lorelei's eyes swept over the calamitous scene and then settled on a very distraught looking Quatre who was still feebly clutching a charred pan. Trowa was patting his friend's shoulder. It was obvious that he was uncertain as to whether or not he was helping. Lorelei cleared her throat causing both boys to look up at her.  
  
"Um," Lorelei started as she shifted uncomfortably, "I'll help you clean up the mess if you want." Quatre blinked. Then he shook his head vigorously.  
  
"No!" Quatre blushed at his own outburst. Trowa just stared. "I mean that's very nice of you to offer but you are a guest and I can't ask you to clean up Duo's mess."  
  
"But you didn't ask, I offered," Lorelei countered, "please let me. I want to. Besides, it's the least I can do after you opened your home to me." 'Did I just say that?' Lorelei wondered. Quatre looked positively stunned.  
  
"Well."Quatre said slowly but Lorelei didn't let him finish.  
  
"Thanks Quat!" She said quickly, and Trowa allowed a small smile creep onto his face.  
  
"I'll help you," Trowa said as he went and opened a door, which turned out to be the broom closet. It had all the cleaning supplies they would need to get the job done. She ran over and helped Trowa carry out buckets, sponges, mops, and brooms. She then filled up the buckets and dumped in tons of soap, maybe a little too much.  
  
She and Trowa set to work with Quatre still standing there, trying to remember if he had actually agreed to this. Lorelei watched Quatre for a second before whipping a soaking, soapy sponge at him that smacked him on the side of the head. He looked at her in surprise.  
  
"What? I said I'd help you, not let you watch," Lorelei declared, "So hurry up!" She then returned to her scrubbing. Quatre cast an incredulous look at Trowa who just shrugged, then continued trying to pry burned pancake from the wall.  
  
The trio worked for about an hour before they were finally finished.  
  
"Whew. Hey, it looks great! Thanks for the help you guys!" Quatre gushed, "So who wants tea?" Lorelei wrinkled her nose but she nodded politely. She had never really been too fond of tea. Trowa on the other hand readily agreed.  
  
"I'll help you Quatre." Trowa said as he stood up and dropped his sponge into the bucket. Quatre nodded and went to find the kettle while Trowa got out cups.  
  
"I'll just finish putting away the cleaning supplies then, " Lorelei sighed. Right in the middle of helping to clean the kitchen she had remembered her deep dislike for housework. Just then Wufei walked into the kitchen. He glanced at Trowa and Quatre who were standing beside the table and then at Lorelei who was on her knees on the floor holding a dripping sponge. Wufei smirked.  
  
"Putting the onna to work eh?" Wufei chuckled. Lorelei sweetly smiled at him as she picked up the soapy water filled bucket and walked up behind him. Wufei turned to face her.  
  
"What are you so happy about?" He demanded. She held up the bucket and he shot her a confused look. "You see?" he said as he turned back to Quatre and Trowa, "I told you she was a crazy." Just then Lorelei dumped the bucket directly over his head. Wufei turned on her looking murderous. Trowa chuckled.  
  
"Lighten up Wufei. You needed a shower." Trowa said as he met Wufei's glare.  
  
"Oh really?" Wufei asked in a disturbingly calm voice. Then in a lightning fast move he grabbed one of the other buckets and flung the water at the Trowa. However, Trowa's very swift reflexes kicked in and he jumped out of the way, leaving poor Quatre to get soaked. Quatre sputtered and then dumped his teapot full of water over Trowa's head. That was the beginning of the great water war.  
  
In about two minutes Trowa and Wufei were wrestling over the last bucket of water. Quatre went for it, but he slipped and landed hard on his rump. Lorelei leaped over them all and triumphantly grabbed the bucket. Wufei, in one last attempt for revenge, hurled a sopping sponge at her. She dodged it and heard it go splat behind her. There was then a very annoyed 'Hn'.  
  
Lorelei whirled around to see Heero Yuy, not looking very happy, with the sponge sitting on his head causing tiny rivulets of soap to run down his face. Trowa jumped off of Wufei, and Quatre backed away from them both. Lorelei swallowed hard and handed Heero the bucket before backing away from him. Then, they simultaneously pointed at Wufei. Wufei's eyes widened and he jumped to his feet and headed for the back door. Heero was not far behind.  
  
Lorelei, Trowa, and Quatre ran after them to see the show. By the time they got outside Heero had knocked down Wufei and dumped the bucket over his head. They watched as Heero picked him up and tossed him into Quatre's pool, bucket and all. Heero casually brushed himself off and calmly sauntered past their gaping mouths back into the house.  
  
"Wow." Lorelei breathed.  
  
"Well, are you going to give me a hand or what?" Came Wufei's annoyed voice. He was gripping the side of the pool, and struggling to climb out, but the tile was slippery. Quatre hurried over to help, with Trowa reluctantly following. Lorelei walked over and watched as Trowa and Quatre each grabbed one of Wufei's arms and pulled him out of the pool. She then had a very diabolical impulse and before her better side could stop her she shoved all three into the pool with one push.  
  
"I win!" Lorelei cheered. Her enthusiasm was greeted with three glares. The pilots climbed out and headed towards her when they heard laughter. They all turned to see Duo doubled over with laughter at the sight of the three dripping pilots and Lorelei standing triumphantly over them. The four former water war participants exchanged glances, nodded, and then all of them jumped on the braided pilot at once.  
  
"Hey! Leggo of me!" Duo screeched as they picked him up and carried him toward the pool, "No! Stop! I'm, uh, allergic to water! HELP!" With that they dumped him in the pool. Then each of them took a side and glowered at him as though daring him to try and get out. Duo just stayed in the middle of the pool. They watched as he gave them each one of his best pitiful puppy dog looks, and did their best to ignore it. Duo was getting weary and they knew he would need to get out soon. Duo tried the look once more but it was to no avail.  
  
"Fine. I apologize for the kitchen. Can I get out now?" Duo pleaded. He was met with a cold glare from Quatre. He sighed in resignation. "And I'll never touch anything in the kitchen again and I'm going to do everyone's chores for a week. Happy now?"  
  
"Actually, yes." Quatre answered. Then he held out a hand to Duo. Duo reached for it and Quatre quickly pulled it away, causing Duo to sink under once again. Duo came up looking horrified and the others mirrored his expression. "What? He ruined my kitchen." Quatre stated and then he turned on his heel and headed for the house. Trowa and Wufei followed suit, but Lorelei took pity on the big drip and helped him out.  
  
"Are you okay?" she asked and Duo grinned.  
  
"Tch. Yeah. I deserved that anyway." He sighed. "Cooking just isn't my forte." Lorelei smiled.  
  
"Me either."  
  
"You guys coming or what?" Quatre called.  
  
"Race ya!" Lorelei yelled as she sprinted towards the house.  
  
"Cheater!" Duo cried as he desperately tried to catch up. Lorelei won the race.  
  
"Beat by an onna Maxwell, and just when I thought you couldn't sink any lower, "Wufei laughed. Lorelei stuck out her tongue at him.  
  
"Like you could do any better Wu-man." She returned. Wufei turned red and looked like he was about to go off on the injustice of that statement when Heero, clearing his throat, cut him off. Heero had his laptop under one arm and a serious look on his face.  
  
"I just got an e-mail from Neun. She would like us to go to the L2 colony and meet her there. She said it's important and she needs to see us in person." Heero stated in his usual monotone. You never would have guessed that only an hour ago he had been tossing Wufei in a pool.  
  
"She wouldn't tell you why?" Trowa asked. Heero shook his head.  
  
"That's just like an onna." Wufei spat. Lorelei glared at him.  
  
"Still, it must be important," Quatre added, "Miss Neun is a no-nonsense person."  
  
"It's settled then! Yes! I'm going home!" Duo cried happily.  
  
"You know, you could have left whenever you wanted Maxwell." Wufei growled.  
  
"What? And miss spending time with you Wu-bear? Never!" Duo grinned. "Plus, I just can't say no to free room and board." Lorelei had been very quiet so far. Duo raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"L2, "she started, "it's in outer space isn't it?"  
  
"It is a space colony." Duo pointed out. "Yeah. It's in outer space. So what?"  
  
"I've never been to outer space." Lorelei explained softly. 'And I never expected to go either,' Lorelei thought to herself. Duo just laughed and threw his arm around her.  
  
"Don't worry. I'll protect you! I'll hold your hand and everything!"  
  
"Gee thanks." Lorelei said sarcastically. 'Wow. I'm going to go to outer space.'  
  
"Plus," Duo continued, "Crazy people get a discount." Lorelei nodded and then went to get a glass of water. She took a sip and then dumped the rest on Duo.  
  
"I think I'll go pack." Lorelei said as she headed toward the stairs. When she reached her room she shut the door and said aloud, "Outer space. Wow." 'If this wasn't another episode in my insane dream, I think I might be celebrating more.' She thought. She walked over and picked up her backpack. "Guess I'm done packing. All I have is this backpack anyway." A loud, and rhythmic, knock came at the door. "Come in Duo."  
  
"How did you know it was me?" Duo asked as he flopped down on her bed. She shrugged.  
  
"Just a wild guess." She said as she plopped down next to him.  
  
"Whatever. Anyway, we're leaving first thing tomorrow." Duo said as he sat up. "So you've really never been to outer space huh?  
  
"Never."  
  
"Wow. I've been there a million times."  
  
"I know." Lorelei froze. 'Smooth, Lorelei, real smooth.' She scolded herself. Duo gave her a strange look.  
  
"You know?" Duo questioned. Then he grinned, "Guess you would know. After all, we are the Gundam pilots from the colonies."  
  
"Yeah." Lorelei agreed. They were silent for a little while. Duo suddenly looked at her and laughed causing Lorelei to stare at him.  
  
"Y'know what?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I just realized I don't know your name. Your real name I mean. You don't have to tell me or anything it's just that I thought it might be weird if I keep screaming Crazie to get your attention." Lorelei blinked. 'I never told them my name? Chalk up another point to my stupidity. Although they never did ask me." She thought. She looked at Duo who had been waiting expectantly. She smiled.  
  
"My name is Lorelei Kudo."  
  
"Cool name. I like it." Duo said with a grin. "Although I think I like Crazie better." He laughed again.  
  
Lorelei answered that remark by throwing a pillow in his face, and saying, "And I rather like Braided Baka." Duo face formed a pout.  
  
"Hey! I resemble that remark!" Duo retorted. Now it was Lorelei's turn to laugh. Just then, Quatre appeared in the doorway.  
  
"Did Duo give you the message?" he asked. Lorelei nodded. Duo leapt off the bed and made a sweeping bow towards Lorelei.  
  
"Quatre, meet Miss Lorelei Kudo. Da da da!" Duo announced. Quatre's jaw dropped.  
  
"Omigosh!" Quatre cried. "Forgive me, I never asked for your name or introduced us!"  
  
"It's okay Quat, I kinda figured it out for myself." Lorelei offered in order to ease his guilt. "Really, it's okay!" She said as she put a comforting arm around the embarrassed blond. The last three pilots appeared in the hallway. Trowa bowed slightly.  
  
"Nice to meet you Miss Kudo." Trowa said as he straightened up. Wufei gave a curt nod. Heero blinked. Yep, she felt welcome, well mostly. Suddenly Duo sniffed.  
  
"Do you smell that?" he asked. They all sniffed the air. Something was burning.  
  
"My dinner!" Quatre shrieked as he hurtled down the stairs. They all followed, hot on his heels. When they arrived in the kitchen, it wasn't in a much better state than Duo had left it. Quatre sank to his knees and sighed and Trowa put out the flaming whatever it was. Heero just blinked again and Wufei rolled his eyes. Duo scratched the back of his head and Lorelei stared for a second before erupting with laughter. It was quite contagious because soon they were all laughing, and Heero even smirked.  
  
After the laughter subsided, they resolved to just order Chinese. It was really good but unfortunately it set Wufei off on how this was injustice because it wasn't real Chinese food if it was made by American workers. By the end of the night, Wufei was back in the pool. Nobody really knew who actually threw him in, but it was decided that it was of mutual consent, besides Wufei.  
  
~  
  
Later that night, Lorelei stood outside on her balcony and looked up at the stars. 'They're so beautiful." She thought. A smile played on her lips. 'Only in outer space could someone like Duo come about.' She giggled at that as she went back inside her room and shut the balcony doors. She took off her robe and slipped into the satin sheets. She took one last look out the window as she sighed.  
  
"I'm going to outer space." She said aloud, almost as though to convince herself. Not long after, her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.  
  
~Owari~  
  
*Fyre_faerie_gyrl runs out on stage*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Hello again! *huge bow* Welcome back! Sorry I took so long to update...  
  
Wufei: That's what happens when your brain is so small..  
  
*WHAP!*  
  
Wufei: OW!  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: That's better! o_~ Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!  
  
*Gin Sachi runs out on stage (In case you didn't know she's my little sister, also known as Cactuskitty the fanfiction author *hint, hint* ^_^)*  
  
Gin: Hullo! *waves happily*  
  
*audience waves back*  
  
*Gin notices Wufei*  
  
Gin: Hullo Wafay! *glares competitively*  
  
Wufei: It's Wufei! Stupid onna...  
  
Gin: Quit being so mean Wa-fay! *she swats at him*  
  
*a giant tic mark appears on his forehead*  
  
Wufei: IT'S WUFEI!!!!!!! SAY IT RIGHT!!!!!!  
  
Gin: Fine.  
  
*Wufei noticeably calms down*  
  
Gin: Waffle. *A huge grin appears on her face*  
  
Wufei: GAH!!!!!  
  
*he pulls out a katana and lunges for her*  
  
*curtains close on account of the violence. After all, this story is PG*  
  
*curtains open...*  
  
*Wufei is unconscious and drooling...Gin has his katana...*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: How?  
  
*Gin shrugs*  
  
Gin: *she grins as she hides the club she was holding* He shoulda known he can't win against an onna.  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Wow! Here it is ladies and gentlemen! Don't ever mess with an onna!  
  
*audience cheers*  
  
*Wufei starts to wake up*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Uh oh! We gotta go! Bye everyone!  
  
*Fyre_faerie_gyrl grabs Gin Sachi and heads for the hills* 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did! Nor do I own Grease or The Fairly Odd Parents. Although I do own a rubber duck.  
  
Warning: Putting Cheetos on your head near a group of seagulls is not a good idea.  
  
Other stuff: Thank you to all of you who have reviewed so far! ^______^ You all rock!  
  
What If - Chapter 7  
  
By: Fyre_faerie_gyrl  
  
Lorelei heard her alarm buzzing. She reached for it, in order to hurl it across the room, when she realized where she was.  
  
"I'm in my room!" Lorelei cried in delight as she bolted up in bed, and looked around. There was her alarm clock, still buzzing, her closet, her Gundam Wing poster, everything. She sighed with relief and muttered under her breathe, "It was all a dream!" And she would have continued to celebrate, but that stupid alarm was still buzzing.  
  
She growled in annoyance as she slapped her hand down on the snooze button, or rather through it. "WHAT?" Lorelei exclaimed as she tried again, but her hand still went through.  
  
"Not again!" She screamed in frustration as she felt the tears well in her eyes. 'I thought I was really home.' She stood up and unhappily walked through her door, there really was no point in attempting to open it. Lorelei headed down the stairs to look around. Her aunt was seated in the dining room. Her eyes were red and swollen as though she had been crying. Keiko suddenly appeared from the kitchen with two cups of tea in her hands.  
  
"Here you are Ms. Kudo." Keiko said with a small smile of concern as she handed a cup of tea to Lorelei's aunt. Her aunt nodded but she just set the cup down in front of her. Keiko heaved a shuddering sigh and sat down across from the woman.  
  
"I can't believe she ran away. I thought she liked it here. I know it's been hard for her but." Her aunt trailed off. Keiko nodded in understanding.  
  
"Ran away? I didn't run away! I'm right here!" Lorelei frantically waved her hands in front of Keiko who just took a sip of tea. "I didn't run away! I'm just stuck in a cartoon." 'Yeah. That makes me sound sane. Maybe it's better they didn't hear that.' Lorelei sank to the floor and pouted.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll help you find her. Maybe she just got lost. You know how directionally challenged she is." Keiko said in an effort to lighten the mood.  
  
"Hey!" Lorelei cried, slightly annoyed. Lorelei's aunt gave a soft chuckle. Lorelei smiled at that and at her friend. 'You're the best Keiko.' The scene slowly began to grow hazy, but Lorelei wasn't worried. She knew Keiko would take care of her aunt.  
  
* * * *  
  
Lorelei shifted slightly in her sleep, causing the stealthy shadow in her room to pause. When her breathing evened out once more, it continued on its trek towards her bed. It crouched down beside her bed and attempted to blend with the shadows, as Lorelei's eyes slowly slid open.  
  
'There's someone else in here,' she thought with a flash of fear. Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and turned to see a shadowed form lunge for her. She threw herself to the side to avoid being hit, grabbed the person's arm, twisted it behind its back, and pinned the person to the ground.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want?" Lorelei demanded. The person attempted to reply but their face was pressed into the carpet. She was about to let up a little so they could turn their head when she noticed the long braid trailing down its back. "Duo?" she cried as she jumped off of him, "What are you doing? Why are you in here?" He gazed up at her with a slight look of fear before jumping up and clamping a hand over her mouth.  
  
"Shh! Keep it down would ya?" he whispered. She nodded and he removed his hand. She watched him tiptoe to the door and press his ear against it, and sigh with relief. She raised an eyebrow at him, which he eagerly replied to with a grin. He looked around, spotted her backpack, grabbed it, and headed down the hall. She was close behind; being careful to be as quiet as he was and followed him through the giant mansion until they ended up in what she guessed was the garage. Although, Lorelei thought it was more appropriate to call in a museum.  
  
There were so many cars in there, and all in mint condition. She continued to follow Duo past what seemed like hundreds of beautiful cars. Lorelei kept looking from side to side, marveling at each beautiful machine. Duo stopped suddenly, causing her to bump into him, but he didn't seem to notice.  
  
"There's my girl, isn't she great?" He turned and gave Lorelei a thumbs-up before heading for "his girl". She stood on her tiptoes to see past him in order to view this car. When she caught sight of it, she nearly fell over.  
  
"That's it?" she asked incredulously. There, sitting amongst the crown jewels of cars, was the biggest heap of junk she had ever seen.  
  
"Yep! I fixed her myself, saved her from getting scrapped. Once I give her a paint job."  
  
"She could be 'Greased Lightning'?" Lorelei finished sarcastically. Duo blinked. Then his face broke into a wide smile.  
  
"YEAH! Wow! That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that?" Duo would have continued to ramble but Lorelei cut him off.  
  
"You can't call it that."  
  
"Huh? Why not?"  
  
"Cause..um..well, didn't you ever see 'Grease'?" Duo gave her a blank stare. "Right. Well I was being sarcastic anyway." Duo stared some more before continuing to load their luggage in the trunk. Lorelei fell silent before remembering the recent events. "Why did you sneak up on me like that? Couldn't you have knocked? And why did we have to sneak around like that?" Duo turned and grinned mischievously.  
  
"I'm leaving early and I didn't want to go alone so I thought you'd like to come. You'll find out about the sneaking around thing in a little while." He slammed the trunk shut. Lorelei heard something fall off. A bolt rolled out from beneath the car. Duo picked it up and studied it. "Hm.I guess we don't need this. How important can one bolt be anyway? Okay, hop in Crazie." Lorelei didn't think she wanted to get in the car. It didn't look safe.  
  
"Wait a minute. I told you my real name, why did you call me Crazie?" she questioned as she got in the car.  
  
"You got in the car didn't you?" Lorelei blinked. 'He's right, I'm crazy. Ugh.' Duo hit a button and the 'museum' door opened. To Lorelei's surprise, he was able to start the car and ease it out onto the very long driveway. He stopped the vehicle in the front of the house and then leaned back with a satisfied grin.  
  
"Are we waiting for someone?" Lorelei asked, slightly curious about his strange behavior.  
  
"I guess you could say that." Duo looked down at his watch and nodded. "Any second now." he said as his manic grin once again appeared. Lorelei was about to ask another question when an infuriated yell erupted from inside the house.  
  
"MAXWELL!!!" Wufei bellowed. Lorelei felt her jaw drop and she looked back at Duo as he slipped on some dark sunglasses. He turned the car back on and started to sing.  
  
"Sweet, sweet victory, YEAH!!!" Lorelei laughed and then punched him lightly in the arm.  
  
"What did you do to him? He seemed really angry."  
  
"You would be too if you woke up with pictures of your head pasted on some bathing beauty's body all over the room. Not to mention with a full makeover, make-up, hairstyle and all. I think he makes a good blond." Lorelei burst into laughter.  
  
"Ha ha ha ha! Why.how did you.? Ha ha ha!."Lorelei couldn't finish her sentence, it was just too funny thinking about what Wufei's face must have looked like when he realized what was going on.  
  
"I slipped a huge sleeping pill in his drink. Otherwise he would have woken up and beaten me to a bloody pulp." Duo joined her in the laughter. She looked over at him. He was wearing black pants, a blue dress shirt, and a black leather jacket. To top it off, he had on those dark sunglasses. 'Man, is he gorgeous.' Lorelei mentally drooled.  
  
"What's the occasion?" she asked, gesturing to his clothes. He grinned.  
  
"You don't miss anything do you?" He laughed. 'No I don't miss anything, except home.' Lorelei sighed. "Hey, don't get bummed out, I was just joking. I'm all decked out because if we are seen next to Quatre we are supposed to look decent. Q-man doesn't care, but his 'people' do. It doesn't bother me, if this is all I have to do to help Quatre out, I'm all for it." His face grew suddenly serious. "Don't get me wrong, there isn't one of us who wouldn't die for that little guy." Lorelei smiled at that and reached over and gave his braid a playful tug.  
  
"Don't tell me the great Shinigami is going soft on me." Lorelei teased. Duo blushed. 'Why is he blushing?' Lorelei wondered. She then looked down and studied her jeans. 'My jeans!' she remembered. "Duo? What about my clothes? Are these good enough?" Duo looked over and then quickly looked backed at the road. His blush had deepened.  
  
"They're, uh, fine. Although you might want to change into a dress when we get there, or something." Duo offered. Now it was Lorelei's turn to blush.  
  
"But, I don't have any other clothes." Duo froze and then looked at her in shock, and his expression turned sheepish.  
  
"Right. I kinda forgot about that. Don't worry, when we get to L2 I can show you around, and we can go on a shopping spree!"  
  
"With what money?" Lorelei pointed out. Duo snickered and pulled out a plastic card and tossed it to her. She studied it. 'It's some sort of credit card!' "Oh Duo, I can't take your money." She said as she handed it back to him. Duo cracked up as though that were the funniest thing he had ever heard.  
  
"My money? Ha! My money usually doesn't last any longer than five minutes. This is one of Quatre's plastics."  
  
"You stole it?" She asked in a concerned voice.  
  
"Not exactly. Quatre gives us each one once a month, you know, for emergencies or something."  
  
"Then isn't it technically your money?"  
  
"Um, actually, I'm a little overdrawn. But it's okay, I'll just say I'm dipping into Heero's account. That guy doesn't ever spend a dime on himself! Besides, this is an emergency." Lorelei couldn't believe this guy, but it sure sounded fun.  
  
"Fine. I'll go along with this, but only if we pay Quatre back. Okay?" Duo shrugged, and then gave a mock bow.  
  
"Your wish is my command, fair lady." Lorelei blushed.  
  
"Anything at all?" Lorelei asked. Duo turned to look at her and nodded. Lorelei glanced at the road before her.  
  
"Just name it." Duo smiled. Lorelei watched them near an intersection, where cars were stopped, Duo wasn't looking at them though, he was looking at her.  
  
"STOP THE CAR!" She shrieked.  
  
"That's oddly specific. [1]" Duo said as he turned to look at the road, "Oh crap!!!!" He slammed on the brakes. Lorelei screamed. The car stopped millimeters away from the one in front of them. Lorelei, still shaking, spoke up.  
  
"Okay, second wish: KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!!!"  
  
"Eep!" Duo shrank back. For the rest of the trip, he was a model driver, and Lorelei found it very amusing. He even went to such lengths as to drive as if he were an old lady who was bent over the steering wheel squinting at the traffic all around her. Duo went into a whole act, using such phrases as "Watch where you are going sonny!" and "Is that light green?" He had Lorelei laughing so hard that by the time they arrived at the airport, she was in tears. She received many strange looks to which Duo responded with a strange look of his own, which would cause the gawkers to hurry away. Suddenly a mechanized voice boomed over the speakers.  
  
"8:00AM SHUTTLE TO L2 IS NOW BOARDING."  
  
"That's us!" Duo cried as he grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd towards Customs.  
  
~  
  
After a very tedious amount of security to pass through Lorelei and Duo finally boarded the shuttle. Lorelei had the window seat.  
  
"Ready?" Duo asked.  
  
"As ready I'll ever be." Duo reached over and squeezed her hand gently.  
  
"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Duo said reassuringly. A person wearing a baseball cap and a suit similar to Wufei's usual ensemble, plopped down into the seat across the isle from Duo's seat.  
  
"I can't say the same for you Maxwell." Growled Wufei. Duo paled and released Lorelei's hand to face Wufei. Lorelei was sure there was steam emitting from Wufei's ears. She studied him. 'He sure did a good job getting all of the make-up off.' She then noticed a blond tendril protruding from beneath the baseball cap. She placed a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. "I swear Maxwell, I'll cut off that braid of yours for this." Duo swallowed hard and paled further. However, lucky for him, this beautiful Kodak moment was interrupted by Heero, Trowa, and Quatre, who walked between the onslaught to get to their seats.  
  
"Good morning, Miss Kudo." Quatre smiled kindly.  
  
"Lorelei. And good morning Quatre." She said while returning the smile. Quatre then looked down at Wufei.  
  
"Will you guys please behave? At least until the flight is over, please?" Quatre gave him a pleading look. No one can resist Quatre's pleading look.  
  
"Fine," Wufei caved, "just don't look at me like that." Quatre smiled and turned back to Duo.  
  
"That hair color isn't permanent, is it?" Quatre asked. Duo relaxed a little.  
  
"No. It'll wash out in a few days." Duo explained and Wufei huffed.  
  
"It better, Maxwell, for your sake." Quatre gave an exasperated sigh. Wufei looked at him and stood up, allowing Quatre to get to his seat. After that, there was just a long ominous silence filling the shuttle until the shuttle started towards the runway. Lorelei gripped her seat. Duo looked over at her and chuckled. He once again took her hand in his, as the shuttle started to gain speed. She squeezed his hand tightly as they left the runway and headed up at a ninety-degree angle from the ground. For a moment she felt as though she couldn't breathe. Then there was silence, followed by an eerie calm.  
  
"See? You made it." Duo said, his voice sounding slightly pained. She looked down at her hand. It was gripping Duo's so hard the tips of his fingers were slightly gray. She quickly let go and blushed. He gingerly placed it in his lap and winced as he attempted to wiggle his fingers.  
  
"Man, you have a good grip." He commented in slight awe.  
  
"Sorry. I didn't realize.I didn't mean to.I'm really sorry."  
  
"Don't be. I'm glad I helped you through your first take-off. They are pretty nerve wracking." Lorelei couldn't believe how kind he was. She gazed up at him, admiration showing in her eyes.  
  
"Thank you Duo." He looked at her and turned a deep scarlet.  
  
"Whoa. Hey, don't look at me that way. I didn't do anything especially heroic."  
  
"It was heroic to me." Lorelei said as she turned to look out the window. She gasped before she could stop herself. She was in outer space, and she was watching the earth grow smaller by the minute. "It's beautiful." She whispered in awe. She saw Duo's reflection in the window nod in affirmation. 'I'm in outer space, I'm actually in outer space.'  
  
For the rest of the flight she conversed with the Duo and Quatre. Wufei was in a meditative state, Trowa was reading a book, and Heero was clicking away on his laptop. 'Big surprise,' Lorelei thought with a chuckle. Eventually, she dropped from the conversation between herself and the two former Gundam pilots, and slowly drifted into a contented sleep while listening to the sound of Duo's rich laughter.  
  
~Owari~  
  
*curtains open*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Wow! Isn't Duo a sweetie??? *glomps Duo*  
  
*She hugging him so tight he can't breathe*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Oh yeah, since I'm out here and everything, I would like to thank all of my readers for reading and reviewing. You guys rocks!!!  
  
*Duo turns blue*  
  
*Wufei walks out*  
  
*He sees the very blue Duo and sighs angrily*  
  
Wufei: Stupid onna! You're suffocating him!  
  
*Fyre_faerie_gyrl looks down at Duo who is now limp*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Omigosh!!!!! *She drops him*  
  
*Duo starts coughing and gasping for air*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Oh Duo! I'm so sorry! *eyes well up with tears*  
  
Duo: *gasp, cough* It's okay, I'm fine! *he looks at Wufei* *wheeze, cough* Wu-man! I didn't know you cared!  
  
Wufei: Who said I do? I only stopped her because I want to be the one to kill you when the time comes.  
  
*Fyre_faerie_gyrl growls and a fiery aura surrounds her*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: *GROWL!!!!!*  
  
*She sends a million fire balls at Wufei*  
  
*He shrieks like a girl and runs offstage*  
  
*The fire balls and Fyre_faerie_gyrl are not far behind*  
  
*Duo, now the sole person left onstage, sweatdrops and then clears his throat*  
  
Duo: Thanks for being here everyone! And don't forget to review! Bye for now!!!!  
  
*bows and runs offstage*  
  
*audience applauds while curtains close*  
  
Explanatory stuff:  
  
[1] That quote is from the Fairly Oddparents, a show that truly rocks my socks! 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!  
  
Warning: You can burn water. ( I know I can!)  
  
Other stuff: Thank you to all of you who have reviewed so far! ^______^ You all rock my socks!  
  
What If - Chapter 8  
  
By: Fyre_Faerie_gyrl  
  
"Crazie? Hey, wake up, we're here." Duo's voice gently pulled Lorelei from her deep slumber. Her eyes slowly slid open and she gave him a sleepy smile.  
  
"You're still here huh? Man, is this the never ending dream or what?" She mumbled.  
  
"What?" Duo asked, thoroughly confused. Lorelei blinked as though realizing exactly what she had just said.  
  
"Oh nothing! I thought I was still asleep or something!" she laughed nervously. He shrugged and then stood to retrieve their carry on luggage from the above compartment. 'Geez! Learn to think before you speak Lorelei! This is not a dream, this is not a dream, this is not a dream.' She suddenly had this feeling that she was being watched. She looked up to find that all five of the guys were staring at her. She blushed and quickly tried to stand, but in the process was pulled back into her seat, she was still wearing the seat belt.  
  
"Um, your seatbelt." Duo began. Lorelei blushed a deeper shade and quickly took off the seat belt. But, she stood up so fast that she hit her head on the personal controls, where you could turn the lights and air conditioners on or off, as though she hadn't humiliated herself enough for one day.  
  
"Ow." Lorelei rubbed her head, she was sure she was as red as a tomato. The guys moved back to give her access to the aisle. She seemed to leap from her seat and fly out the plane, leaving four very confused pilots to stare in her wake, the one with the braid was laughing his full head off.  
  
~  
  
Lorelei had kept running until she had cleared the airport and ended up in a place that looked like a park of some sort. She looked up to see a metal sky and artificial sunlight streaming from many crevices in the ceiling. 'I'm on L2.a space colony! Whoa.' Lorelei thought as she continued walking deeper into the park, trying to absorb as much as she could. She sat down on a bench and watched people go by. It really was beautiful there, you would never realize it was in outer space if no one ever told you. A little boy chasing a little girl with a long braid ran by. Lorelei chuckled. 'Wait.braid? Duo! Omigosh! I left them at the airport! They're probably looking for me! Great. Now they're really gonna think I'm crazy.'  
  
Lorelei looked around and realized she absolutely no idea where she was or how to get back to the airport. She stood up and began walking in the direction she hoped she had come from. After about fifteen minutes, she spotted a bench and stopped. She stared at it. 'That bench looks awfully familiar.' she thought, but she just shrugged and kept walking. Fifteen more minutes later, she found herself staring at that very same bench! Keiko hadn't been kidding when she said Lorelei was directionally challenged.  
  
"I've been walking in circles!" Lorelei screamed in annoyance. Suddenly she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.  
  
"Excuse me, are you lost or something?" A gentle voice asked. Lorelei hadn't been expecting someone to be there so she shrieked in surprise and whipped around. There stood a bewildered girl, who appeared to be only slightly younger than Lorelei, wearing a black dress with buckled straps that was fitted to her waist and flared out at the bottom, reaching to her mid-calf area, and combat boots. Her short brown hair was cut so that it framed her face, she was very pretty. That wasn't all, behind her thinly framed glasses she had the most striking green eyes Lorelei had ever seen.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. You just surprised me that's all." Lorelei quickly explained to the squinting young girl who looked as though she was deciding whether or not to regret trying to help the poor lost girl who she had watched walk in a giant circle three times. At that explanation, the girl smiled.  
  
"Oh okay. For a second I thought I had just poked a lunatic." The girl laughed. Lorelei groaned.  
  
"Must everyone get the impression that I'm crazy? Ugh."  
  
"Sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything." The girl grinned sympathetically and patted her shoulder as she asked, "Anyway, are you lost?" Lorelei sighed and nodded. "Where are you trying to get to?"  
  
"The airport." The girl's eyes widened.  
  
"That's a least two miles from here! Did you come from there? How in the heck did you get all the way over here?" Lorelei cringed.  
  
"I ran, I guess." The green-eyed girl raised an eyebrow but she decided not to ask.  
  
"Well, since I don't feel like walking two miles to the airport, I'm sure you don't either, would you mind if I took you home with me? I'm sure my friend Cat wouldn't mind giving you a ride back. Okay?" Lorelei nodded. "Great, follow me then. Um, do you mind if I ask your name?"  
  
"It's Lorelei. And yours?"  
  
"Kyoujin, Jin for short, but most of the time I'm known as the Lady of the Blade!" She grinned and held up two fingers in the sign of victory. Lorelei just smiled and nodded, you don't question people who name themselves after sharp objects.  
  
~  
  
"Anybody find her?" Duo asked. The other four pilots shook their heads.  
  
"I hacked into the security camera systems, as far as I've seen, she is no longer in the airport." Heero reported.  
  
"Then where could she have." Duo started.  
  
"TROWA!" A woman's voice rang out and two slightly tanned arms wrapped around Trowa from behind him. Trowa's eyes widened for a moment before he gently patted one of the arms.  
  
"Hello Kathy." Trowa greeted the arms. A woman with curly short brown hair appeared from behind Trowa. "Everyone, this is my sister, Catherine." Trowa explained as the girl eyed them.  
  
"I think I have already met you two right?" She asked as she looked pointedly at Heero and Wufei, who both gave short nods. "Thought so. Anyway, I see you already have your bags, let's go already, everyone can't wait to see you Trowa!" She latched onto Trowa's arm and began to pull, half drag, Trowa through the bustling crowds.  
  
"What about Crazie?" Duo whined.  
  
"Heero already said she's not in this building any longer, or weren't you listening Maxwell?" Wufei hissed while unconsciously rubbing his nose. He then turned to follow Trowa and his sister.  
  
"Don't worry Duo." Quatre said as he patted Duo on the shoulder in an attempt to be comforting. "She is probably just wandering around outside. I'm sure she's okay."  
  
"I sure hope so Quat." Duo said as they hurried after the others. They all piled into pretty beat up four-door and headed off.  
  
~  
  
"Welcome to my home!" Jin cried happily as she ran towards one of the many trailers in the surrounding area. A large striped tent loomed before her. Lorelei stared. 'She lives at a circus? That might explain her name.in any case, COOL!' Lorelei looked around at all the games, rides, and food stands. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she had not eaten since.'Wait a second, I haven't eaten all day!'  
  
As she continued to look around, Lorelei spotted a very familiar looking lion in a cage. She headed toward it, curiosity getting the better of her. It growled softly as she approached and moved towards the front of the cage. It watched her expectantly. When Lorelei reached the cage, before she realized what she was doing, she stuck her hand through the bars and held it out to the lion who moved closer, sniffed her hand, and then gave it a lick with a tongue that felt like sandpaper. Her fear was now completely gone as she began to stoke the growling lion's huge mane. That's when she realized that the lion wasn't growling, it was purring! However, coming from such a big cat, you could easily be misled. Jin ran up behind her.  
  
"Hey Lorelei, whoa, you've made friends with our lion? He doesn't usually take to strangers." Jin said as she reached out to scratch behind one of the lion's ears. "Anyway, Cat isn't here at the moment. Ironically, she's at the airport picking up her brother. I didn't even know she had one! Well, I guess you're gonna have to wait a little longer, if that's alright."  
  
"That's fine." Lorelei smiled. "And, thank you for helping me. I would still be stuck in that park if it wasn't for you." Jin grinned as she clasped her hands behind her head.  
  
"Yeah. You probably would be stuck there for the rest of your life. You were pretty pathetic at picking a direction." Jin laughed jokingly and Lorelei noticed how much this girl reminded her of Duo.  
  
"Hey!" Lorelei tried to sound offended but she ended up laughing along with Jin. A car pulling up to Lorelei's right interrupted their laughter  
  
"She's here!" Jin cried as she headed for the car. Lorelei gave the lion one final pat before heading after her. She stopped short when she saw the passenger door open and Duo hop out.  
  
"Duo!" Lorelei cried. He looked straight at her and his face broke into a wide grin. He ran swiftly around the car and straight for her.  
  
"Crazie, you're okay!" Before Lorelei knew what was happening, her feet had left the ground as she was lifted by Duo and spun in a wide circle before being set down and enveloped in a hug. Lorelei was sure that she was so red that she was able to be seen from miles around, not to mention the fact the she felt so hot that she was sure she must be burning him. "We were all really worried!"  
  
"Are you two a couple or something?" Jin's asked with an eyebrow raised in what might have been mistaken for disapproval, but her sly grin told otherwise. Duo suddenly stiffened and hastily released Lorelei, his red face perfectly matching hers.  
  
"Sorry. It's a natural reaction, I was just worried," Duo sputtered. Lorelei gave him a reassuring smile, and Jin cracked up laughing. Earning her death glares from the braided boy.  
  
"Well, I'm glad to know you were. At least I know you wouldn't ever ditch me right?"  
  
"Right." Duo affirmed, but his face was still red. The others walked over to them.  
  
"I'm glad to see you're okay Miss Ku-, I mean Lorelei." Quatre said with a smile.  
  
"Thank you Quatre." Lorelei returned the smile. Jin suddenly appeared at her side facing Quatre, causing them to still from shock.  
  
"Whoa, what an aisoku![1]" Jin mumbled to Lorelei, but because of the awkward silence, her input was audible, causing Quatre to blush at her comment. Jin followed his lead and blushed as well. "Err.Wanna be my target?" She gracefully added and Quatre looked slightly scared.  
  
"I beg your pardon." Jin grinned slyly and linked arms with him.  
  
"C'mon!" She dragged him into the big top.  
  
"I hope your friend is brave!" Catherine laughed as the pair steadily disappeared behind the tent.  
  
"Why is that?" Trowa inquired.  
  
"That girl is my apprentice. I think she's gotten pretty good at the dagger throwing, although, she does miss from time to time." Catherine explained. "We should probably go stop her before he loses an eye or something."  
  
~  
  
Quatre watched as the girl rifled through the large trunk on one side of the ring. 'She is very pretty,' Quatre thought, 'and I've never seen such beautiful eyes.did she really mean what she said back there, that I'm an aisoku?' He found himself blushing at the thought.  
  
"Why are you blushing?" She asked furtively while squinting at him thoughtfully. That girl really does pop out of nowhere.  
  
"No reason. It's probably hot in here or something."  
  
"It's not really...You aren't sick are you? 'Cause if you are, I'm no good with a moving target..." Jin began as she looked up at him with a smile, and all her rambling became incoherent to Quatre as her studied her beautiful face. Quatre found himself blushing again. "You're so cute!" She concluded lightly and it seemed as though she had been looking for as she grabbed his hand and led him over to the opposite side of the ring where she stood him in front of a large target. She let go of his hand to fiddle with the target for a second. "Give me your hand," Jin commanded. Quatre obliged. To his surprise, she promptly secured his arm to the board.  
  
"What are you doing?" Quatre cried in alarm. Jin didn't answer as she quickly secured his other arm and both legs. Jin studied him for a second.  
  
"Looks good!" she said with a nod. "Don't worry my aisoku! I know what I'm doing. Just don't move okay?" She then trotted back to the trunk and pulled out six shiny daggers. The others appeared in the main opening of the tent. Jin grinned at them. "Here for the show?" She turned back to Quatre, daggers raised. Before Katherine could stop her, Jin whipped the razor sharp daggers at Quatre, one at a time, each one faster than the one before it. Lorelei covered her eyes with her hands, after the resounding thumps of the daggers hitting the target, Lorelei slowly lowered her hands. She studied the now very pale Quatre. He was okay! None of the daggers had hit him! They all sighed with relief. Jin went to free him.  
  
"I'm alive?" Quatre said incredulously.  
  
"Of course you are silly!" Jin replied with a proud smile. She then she frowned as she reached for one of the daggers. "Wow. This was one just inches away from your throat. Lucky you didn't move eh?" Quatre paled further and promptly fainted. Jin gave a satisfied nod and sighed contentedly before she finished freeing him. Then she caught him in her arms and headed toward the others. "I'm gonna go put him in my trailer okay?" They nodded.  
  
"Does she even realize who she almost skewered?" Duo asked as he watched her retreating form.  
  
"Probably not." Catherine replied with a shrug.  
  
~  
  
Quatre realized he was moving and a slowly came to. He realized he was in the arms of that girl who scared the heck out of him just a few moments ago. That's when he came to the conclusion that something must be wrong with him, but instead of being angry with her, he was happy to just be close to her. She must have realized he was awake because she stopped in her tracks and looked down at him.  
  
"Awake my yukashii oukou[2]?" She said as she set him down on her bed. Quatre was now blushing furiously.  
  
"I, uh, that is to say, I, um, I never got your name, miss...Mine is Quatre Raberba Winner." Jin looked dumbfounded.  
  
"Mine is Kyoujin, Jin for short, otherwise known as the Lady of the Blade!" She began proudly before something seemed to register in her head, "Wait a minute, the Quatre Raberba Winner? Head of the Winner Corporation? Oh man, you must think I am such a total freak. I'm so sorry!"  
  
"Don't be, I just wish you could have told me what you were doing so I could have been ready for it. That's all." He said with a kind smile, which she sympathetically matched. 'She has a beautiful smile, 'Quatre noticed.  
  
"Does that mean you'll be my permanent target while you're here?" Shocked, Quatre opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by her squeal. "That's great! Yes! Let's go tell the others!" With that she grabbed his hand and dragged him off.  
  
~  
  
That night, Duo and Lorelei joined the fun and excitement of experiencing the circus. They planned to ride some rides and play some games before the final show in the big top.  
  
"Man, I can't believe Quatre agreed to be her target! How are we going to explain to the world if Quatre is killed or horribly maimed by that girl?" Duo complained.  
  
"Don't worry. You should have more faith in Jin's ability. She likes him way too much to horribly maim him."  
  
"I guess she does doesn't she?" Duo laughed. His eyes then grew huge as he spotted the scariest ride there: The Zipper[3]. He picked Lorelei up and hurtled through the crowds to get there as fast as possible. When they arrived in the line he set her down and then ran off to buy tickets. 'And everyone thinks I'm insane.' Lorelei laughed to herself. Duo was back in the blink of an eye, although he really didn't need to rush. They had to wait for another twenty minutes before they got on.  
  
"This is going to be so great!" Duo cheered as the ride started. As it started to gain speed, the car flipped over twice. Lorelei screamed happily as the feeling of free fall went through her. They flipped three more times and Duo screamed with her, but he actually sounded scared. He suddenly grabbed onto Lorelei and held on for dear life. When the ride started to slow his grip loosened. "Is it over?" Duo asked. Lorelei shook her head.  
  
"We still have to go backwards." She said, feeling slightly guilty. The ride jolted and then began to hurtle in the opposite direction. Duo's death grip on her returned and he screamed as the car flipped a whopping six times. When the ride was finally over Lorelei tapped Duo lightly. "Duo, I can't breathe." He quickly let go. When they finally got off of the ride, Lorelei helped Duo to a bench. He flopped down on the bench and groaned.  
  
"Duo are you okay? What happened back there? I would think, as a Gundam pilot, you would have done that all the time in your Gundam." Lorelei pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, I did. But I was the one causing it to happen. I guess I kinda felt like we were out of control or something. I dunno. Sorry about being such a wimp." Duo bowed his head in shame.  
  
"You are not a wimp. I completely understand. I never used to trust carnival rides, there was always some story in our newspaper about the cars of a roller coaster going off of the tracks or of some ride malfunctioning. It's okay Duo really. And if you want to try again, you can hold onto me all you want." 'Why didn't that sound right?' Lorelei wondered as she felt her face grow hot. Duo must have been thinking the same thing because his cheeks grew rosy as well.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"No problem."  
  
~  
  
After riding the Zipper five more times, plus riding all of the other rides, even the kid ones, it was time for the show in the big top. Duo and Lorelei hurried to their box seats where Heero and Wufei were already seated.  
  
The first act consisted of clowns running around and performing all of their crazy antics. One of them pulled Duo out onto the floor and made him dance around and then the clown threw a pie in his face. Duo sulkily returned to his seat. Lorelei tried really hard not to laugh at his pie- covered face.  
  
"I always knew clowns were evil." Duo grumbled.  
  
The next couple of acts consisted of acrobats, trapeze artists, and people who rode motorcycles in a giant circular cage. Then Trowa came out with his lion act. He stood very still in the middle of the ring as the lion came charging at him. Just before the lion reached him he jumped up and did a triple flip, a double twist, ending with a one-handed handstand in the lion's back. The crowd loved it, as did Lorelei.  
  
"He's amazing!" She said as she applauded for Trowa. 'Keiko would be so jealous if she knew I was watching Trowa perform!' "Don't you think so Duo?" Lorelei asked him. Duo shrugged.  
  
"I could do that." Lorelei laughed and punched him lightly in the arm.  
  
"Which part?" She asked innocently. It took a second for it to register in Duo's mind exactly what she had just asked him.  
  
"What do you mean which part?" Duo demanded angrily. "Trowa's part of course!" Lorelei laughed again. Duo fumed in his seat.  
  
"Y'know, green is not your color, Duo." Duo looked down at his black T- shirt.  
  
"But I'm not wearing green." Lorelei smacked her forehead.  
  
"Never mind." The next act was Jin and Quatre's. Jin was wearing a cute emerald green suit, similar to what Catherine usually wears, with a skirt that reached to mid-thigh. Quatre appeared in a matching suit with a mask similar to Trowa's except for the fact that it was smiling. The crowd fell silent as she strapped Quatre to the target and then prepared to throw the knives that flashed with every movement of her hands. She threw three rounds of single knives, to which the crowd applauded.  
  
Then Jin spun around and crossed her arms in front of her with her hands in fists. Then she spread her fingers wide revealing six daggers, three in each hand. The silence that ensued was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Jin raised both hands, paused for effect, and in one swift motion, hurled all six daggers at Quatre. Six thuds were heard as all six knives landed on either side of Quatre's face. The crowed roared with applause. The two show stoppers bowed, and then were joined by the rest of the cast for the show. The finale was breathtaking. Acrobats flipped to and fro, elephants, lions, and tigers were marched around the ring, clowns rolled around and doused each other with a hose which "accidentally" hit Duo, and small fireworks were set off.  
  
After the show, they all met up to have a celebration dinner at a colony restaurant. Catherine allowed Lorelei to borrow one of her dresses since she didn't have one of her own. The dress was very beautiful, it was a light purple off-the-shoulder dress that flowed when she walked.  
  
"Oh Lorelei, you look gorgeous!" Catherine exclaimed, as she appeared from her room in a light blue dress with a sweetheart neckline that matched her eyes.  
  
"So do you Catherine! And thank you for letting me borrow this dress." Catherine smiled at her and nodded.  
  
"You can keep it. I never looked as good as you do in it." Lorelei hugged Catherine.  
  
"Thank you very much!"  
  
Jin suddenly appeared in the doorway wearing a strapless black dress that went down to her ankles. She had on some eye shadow that really brought out her eyes. She looked stunning.  
  
"Come on you guys. Geez, you are slower than a couple of girls! Wait." The girls all laughed and headed for the car where the five pilots stood, gaping at the girls who had just emerged from Catherine's trailer.  
  
"Wow. You guys clean up pretty nice." Catherine commented, and the boys snapped out of it. Then, they all piled in the car and headed for the restaurant.  
  
~  
  
"Sir, we have the security tapes from the airport on earth as well as the colony L2." A young lieutenant reported as he saluted his commanding officer.  
  
"Good. And what did you find?"  
  
"The Gundam pilots are on the move sir, also, it seems they have obtained a new member of their group." He inserted the tape and Lorelei's face flashed on the screen next to Duo's. "That is the pilot 02 with that unidentified girl." A gasp came from the small boy that was restrained beside the commander.  
  
"Lorelei?"  
  
"What was that?" The commander growled as he lifted the now struggling boy by the collar. "So? You know this girl? Hm." He tossed the boy to the waiting arms of the lieutenant. "Return him to his cell." The lieutenant handed the boy to one of the guards who dragged him away. "Lieutenant?"  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Bring me that girl. Maybe she can loosen our little friend's lips." He laughed, a horrible sadistic laugh.  
  
"Yes sir!" He saluted the commander once more before leaving to carry out his task.  
  
"I will be the ruler of this world!" The commander boomed as he was left alone to brood upon his plans for an end to this false pacifism.  
  
~  
  
Lorelei felt a chill run up her spine. Since they were pretty cramped in the car, Duo felt her shiver.  
  
"Are you okay?" Duo asked in a concerned tone.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure it's nothing." 'Weird. Why do I have this horrible feeling that something terrible is going to happen?'  
  
~Owari~  
  
*curtains open*  
  
fyre_faerie_gyrl: Dun dun dun!!!!! Scary stuff ne? That was almost a cliffhanger! Cool!  
  
Wufei: Stupid onna! It was not! Only true authors and authoresses can write cliffhangers! Your statement was complete injustice!  
  
*CRASH!*  
  
fyre_faerie_gyrl: Gee.I wonder how that giant piece of ceiling fell on him.*hides saw behind her back* life is a mystery I suppose! Okay, our guest for today is Heero, and he will be doing the usual thing. Please give a warm welcome to Heero Yuy!  
  
*Gin Sachi stands up and cheers like a wild woman*  
  
*Heero sweat drops and then clears his throat*  
  
Heero: Mission accepted. Miss Fyre_faerie_gyrl would like to thank you for reading her story and would like to ask you to please review because reviews are very much appreciated and.*he squints because he is reading off of cue cards* I'll be available for glomping after the show. Huh? Wait!  
  
*fan girls cheer, Gin Sachi knocks out the other fan girls and runs onstage with arms outstretched*  
  
*Heero pales and runs offstage*  
  
*Gin Sachi runs after him*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: *sweat drops* Okay, maybe that cue card wasn't such a good idea. Anyway, don't forget to review and thanks again! *bows*  
  
*curtains close*  
  
*audience applauds*  
  
*backstage Gin Sachi glomps Heero after a very long and tedious chase*  
  
Notes:  
  
[1] aisoku = cute boy  
  
[2] yukashii oukou = charming prince  
  
[3] The Zipper is a ride that has about fifteen cage things that only two people per cage can ride in. it is on a belt that is oval shaped and it goes forwards and backwards. The actual structure spins as well as the cars that are able to flip over. (My top amount is 6 consecutive flips! *crowd: ooooooo!*) It is a very fun ride! 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!  
  
Warning: T.V. rots the brain, which might explain me..  
  
Other stuff: Thank you to all of you who have reviewed so far! ^______^ You all rock my socks!  
  
What If - Chapter 9  
  
By: Fyre_Faerie_gyrl  
  
"Here we are!" Catherine announced in a sing song voice. They all stared out the windows on the left-hand side of the car. Wufei was the first to voice what had been running through all of their heads.  
  
"Where the heck are we?" He demanded. "You said we were going out to dinner to celebrate your opening night!" Catherine laughed.  
  
"And we are!"  
  
"What do you mean? This is not a restaurant." Wufei pointed out.  
  
"Well, I thought we should go someplace special, not that dinner is not special, it's just that my brother hardly ever stays for longer than a week so I figured I should make the most of his visit. Not to mention I ran into this cute little old man selling tickets for some sort of charity ball and I just couldn't say no to him so, here we are!"  
  
"Oh brother," Wufei huffed.  
  
"Exactly!" Catherine agreed. She then hopped out of the car and began rifling through her purse. Everyone else piled out after her. Catherine's face suddenly broke out into a wide grin as she found what she had been looking for: the tickets. "C'mon everyone!" Catherine called as she leapt up the steps to the very majestic looking building. Lorelei looked up at it to take in its grandeur. It looked beautiful. The building was a brilliant white marble that seemed to sparkle in the bright lights emanating from two large searchlights that stood in front of the building. Lorelei would have continued to admire the building had she not felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned to find Duo standing there, offering his arm to her and the others at the top of the steps watching them expectantly. She happily took his arm, and together they went to join the others.  
  
Once inside Catherine quickly led them to a table reserved for their party. Lorelei noticed that it was even more beautiful inside than out. There was a large staircase down the middle of the giant room. Brilliant banners hung from the vaulted ceilings and from the railings. Each of the tables had been beautifully decorated with flowered centerpieces and lace tablecloths. Duo gave her a gentle tug before leading her the rest of the way to the table where the others were starting to sit down. Once everyone was seated, Catherine got their attention by loudly clearing her throat.  
  
"Okay everyone, dinner has already been served so help yourselves," Catherine announced as she gestured to the buffet tables along the opposite wall, "and the dancing will start soon so hurry up and eat!" She then went to go get her food.  
  
"Alright! I'm starved!" Duo cried as he leapt out of his chair and followed Catherine. The others just sighed and followed the previous two in an orderly fashion.  
  
~  
  
"Sir?" The Lieutenant ventured.  
  
"Yes, what is it?"  
  
"We've located the girl, sir. After a brief interrogation of the clown from the circus, we discovered they went to the annual charity ball on L2."  
  
"Good. Dismissed Lieutenant."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"What now?!" The commander demanded angrily. The Lieutenant swallowed nervously and then spoke up quickly.  
  
"Request permission to surround and invade if necessary, sir."  
  
"Oh. Permission granted." The Lieutenant bowed and turned to leave. "Oh and Lieutenant."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"You had better not fail me, or it will be you whose head will roll."  
  
"Y-yes sir!" The Lieutenant said and he quickly hurried away.  
  
~  
  
Just as everyone was finishing their meal, a man in a tuxedo stepped onto the middle of the dance floor.  
  
"May I have your attention please everyone? Thank you. First of all we would like to thank you all for being here," the man boomed. Everyone applauded that last statement. "Second, the dancing will now commence so I would like to see you all out here on the floor and having a good time!" With that he clapped his hands twice and the music began.  
  
Catherine squealed in excitement before grabbing onto a very flustered Wufei and dragging him out of his seat to join the other couples on the sparsely populated dance floor. Wufei continued to complain loudly as Catherine led him into a waltz. Eventually, his complaints were drowned out by the music and the light chatter of the surrounding tables.  
  
Jin had been stealing looks at Quatre ever since the music started, Quatre noticed and with a deep breath, he asked her to dance. She immediately leapt to her feet and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. Jin and Quatre immediately swirled into the waltz as though they had been doing it all their lives together. 'They make it look so easy!' Lorelei thought as she admired how good they looked together. Heero, who had been watching all of this, looked over at Lorelei and Duo before excusing himself to go and check the perimeter. In reality, he was just giving Duo some privacy with Lorelei, but he would never admit to that.  
  
Duo watched Lorelei as she marveled at the ever-twirling dancers. Her eyes were sparkling and he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked. When she noticed his gaze she turned and gave him a heart-warming smile. His mouth dropped open when he realized that lovely smile was for him. She giggled and he blushed. Then he looked away in order to summon up the courage to ask her to dance.  
  
"Would you care to dance?" Duo looked up in surprise. That wasn't his voice, and that definitely wasn't Lorelei's voice. His eyes widened as he took in the handsome young man bowing in front of Lorelei. She glanced back over at Duo who gave her a forced reassuring smile. She didn't seem to notice the forced part because she placed her hand in the man's outstretched one and gracefully rose from her seat and was led to the dance floor, leaving Duo to stew in his own stupidity for not having the nerve to ask her first. He couldn't understand it. He had been able to jump on her, hug her, sneak into her room to wake her, hold her hand, but now, he couldn't even ask her to dance. What was wrong with him?  
  
He watched the two waltz with great envy. Lorelei was so light on her feet; she seemed to be gliding across the floor. Suddenly another young man cut in with Lorelei and soon this new person was leading her in a dance. After a few minutes a different man cut in, and soon, Lorelei was dancing with every man there. Somehow, Lorelei had become the belle of the ball without her even noticing. This was because the whole time she had been dancing, she had been watching Duo, though he carefully avoided her eyes. 'Maybe he wasn't going to ask me after all.' Lorelei thought sadly. It had really surprised her at how disappointed she was that the young man had beat Duo to the punch, or at least that was what she hoped had happened. Even after dancing with all of these men, the only one she really wanted to dance with was Duo.  
  
~  
  
Duo continued to sit at the table and ignore other offers to dance from various girls. He knew he normally would have accepted those offers, but now, he just couldn't. Suddenly he came to a realization, why would she ever want to dance with him, or even be with him, when she could be with all of those other more handsome and well off men? He wasn't good enough for her and he knew it. He had killed, stolen, and destroyed things. She was just an innocent girl who had never done worse than dump water on someone. As untrue as the thoughts were, Duo had convinced himself that they were the truth and decided that he would leave. With that, he stood and walked toward the balcony. He knew he couldn't go out the front door because they announced your name as you left so they could record your name. Even if he gave a false name they would still look up to see who was leaving.  
  
When he went outside on the balcony he looked over the side of the railing. It was only about seven feet up, he could jump from that height and with one last wistful look at Lorelei, he did.  
  
~Owari~  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Wow. This is one of my shorter chapters.  
  
Wufei: And one of your more lame ones. I would not have danced with that onna even if she had dragged me! I wouldn't have even gone in that building! THIS IS INJUSTICE!!!  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: *didn't hear a word he said cause she was totally ignoring him* That's nice, Wuffie.Anyway, sorry I haven't updated in so long and thanks for reading my story. I hope you'll review because I would really appreciate it if you did! ^______^ And.  
  
*Wufei interrupts*  
  
Wufei: Wait a minute! My name is not Wuffie! Plus you did not even listen to a word I said! INJUSTICE!!!  
  
*Fyre_faerie_gyrl sighs*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Close the curtains please.  
  
*Brief banging, scuffling, and shouts of protest are heard*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Okay! You can open them!  
  
*The curtains open to reveal a tied up Wufei dangling upside down with his mouth taped shut over a tank of tiger sharks*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Ladies and gentlemen, in order to make up for his rudeness earlier, Wu-man has volunteered to do an escape artist trick. He told me earlier that he was simply the best at it so we are in for a treat. As an added bonus, we threw in bloodthirsty sharks and at the same time I will be setting a candle under this end of the rope so if he doesn't escape in time, well you know. Exciting ne?  
  
*Crowd is in awed silence*  
  
Fyre_ faerie_gyrl: Ready?  
  
*Wufei frantically shakes his head*  
  
*The crowd cheers*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: GO! *She sets the candle under the rope*  
  
*Wufei struggles helplessly and screams through the tape what sounds like a muffled "INJUSTICE!!!"*  
  
*Just as the rope is about to snap a man walks up on stage and blows out the candle*  
  
*The crowd boos*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Um, sir, we are kinda in the middle of something here. Why did you do that?  
  
The guy: Well, I work for this totally obscure company that makes up laws that no body knows about or follows but that are enforced by us.  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Okaaay, but what does that have to do with us?  
  
The guy: Today is be kind to all baboons day and you seem to have one tied up above a tank of bloodthirsty sharks.  
  
*Fyre_faerie_gyrl looks up at Wufei*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Oh, I'm sorry sir. I didn't know that was today! I'll get the poor baboon down right now. *She reaches up and rips off the tape on Wufei's mouth*  
  
Wufei: OW!!! HEY! I AM NOT A BABOON!!!! THIS IS INJUS..  
  
*Fyre_faerie_gyrl slaps the tape back on*  
  
The guy: Oh. My mistake. He's not a baboon after all! He sure looks like one though.*Wufei turns red with anger* My deepest apologies to you ma'am, you may carry on. *He re-lights the candle*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Thank you.  
  
*The rope snaps*  
  
*Wufei plunges into the water...and the sharks all mercilessly tickle him*  
  
*The sharks pull off their heads to reveal the other four gundam pilots*  
  
*Duo pokes Wufei with his fin*  
  
Duo: Ha! He's out cold! Fearless Dragon my butt!!!  
  
*everyone laughs*  
  
*curtains start to close*  
  
Fyre_faerie_gyrl: Well folks, that's all we have time for but be sure to come back! Remember to review and thanks again!!! 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!  
  
Warnings: Not reviewing a story is a serious health risk. (o_~)  
  
Other stuff: Sorry for not updating in so long!!! -__-; Hope you like my chapter!!!!!  
  
What If - Chapter 10  
  
By: Fyre_faerie_gyrl  
  
Lorelei had smiled a polite thank you as she once again changed partners. She spared a quick glance at Duo and noticed he was still sitting in the same chair looking at her. When he noticed her looking he quickly looked away. Lorelei blushed and turned her attention back to the young man who had been speaking to her but had failed to notice her lack of attention.  
  
Lorelei had been in mid-turn when to her shock and surprise she watched as Duo leapt over the side of the balcony. 'Why....Why did he just....was he that desperate to get away and not have to dance with me? I hope he's alright....' suddenly the man she was dancing with let go of her hands and she looked up to see Heero asking if he could cut in.  
  
"Heero?" Lorelei was confused.  
  
"Duo left." Heero stated.  
  
"I know." Lorelei said as she carefully avoided Heero's eyes.  
  
"Go after him." Lorelei jerked her head up at this.  
  
"What? But what about the others? I can't just...."  
  
"I'll explain it to them. Go on. It doesn't look like you're having much fun here anymore, anyway." Lorelei smiled and happily threw her arms around him.  
  
"Thanks Heero." With that she headed towards the balcony, leaving a rather shocked Heero in her wake. Heero of course quickly went back into perfect soldier mode after having completed the mission Catherine had given him: "Get those two together! They're perfect for each other!" Normally he wouldn't accept such a frivolous mission but Catherine had very good leverage: his laptop.  
  
When Lorelei reached the balcony railing she could see duo just turning a corner further down the street. Glancing down she realized she was going to have to remove her three-inch heels if she was going to make the jump without breaking a leg. After removing her shoes she tossed them over the side and quickly followed suit. She landed the painful thud, and after gathering her shoes she gracefully hobbled after him.  
  
~  
  
Duo hurried through the streets, ignoring the stares he was getting because he was slightly over-dressed for just walking through the city. He sighed as he continued to mentally scream at himself for not having the guts to have asked Lorelei to dance, and now he was running away. He could think of nothing else but what he thought himself to be: a coward.  
  
As he continued his speedy trek lost in his own thoughts, he didn't notice the young girl a ways behind him trying to catch up while trying not to break her ankle in those heels.  
  
~  
  
Lorelei watched Duo turn yet another corner. She hurried after him but she knew she would lose him soon if she didn't do something. She quickly stopped and ripped off her heels and tossed them aside. Lorelei wondered why she had bothered putting them back on in the first place. When she had finished and looked up, Duo was long gone, and, it seemed, so was everyone else. The street was deserted. 'Where did everyone go?' Lorelei wondered as a chill ran up her spine. As she passed a rather dark alley, a voice rang out.  
  
"Hey Girly, whatcha doin' out here all alone?" A man's voice basically growled as he stepped out from the darkness. Lorelei took in his leering face and instinctively began to back away. With a soft thud she ran into someone behind her and she jumped away with a gasp. The new man grinned.  
  
"Yeah, a purdy gal like you should be with her man." With a laugh another man appeared from behind the first.  
  
"I'd be more than happy to oblige sweetheart." He said as he moved close. She heard deep chuckles and two more emerged from the alley.  
  
"You're not lost are ya babycakes?" Lorelei felt her heartbeat quicken. She was surrounded!  
  
"You must be new here cuz everyone else round here knows to stay off our street 'round this time. But don't worry, we'll acquaint you with ourselves and then you'll know for next time." More laughter. Lorelei didn't like the sound of that.  
  
"Look.....gentleman....I really need to be going so it was nice meeting you and I'll be sure to keep off of your street next time." Lorelei said as she tried to dart away. They only laughed as they tightened the circle, blocking her escape.  
  
"What's your hurry? We can show you a good time!" The first man said as he grabbed her arm. Enough was enough. Lorelei slammed her first into his face and noted with satisfaction the way he crumpled to the ground. Unfortunately, for him at least, he didn't release her arm. With the swift kick she broke it and he released her with a cry of pain. Seeing her exit, Lorelei dashed down the street. The men were quick to follow with angry cries and their leader shrieking, "Get her!" Lorelei could hear her heart thundering in her ears. She frantically looked about her as she ran but still she saw no one. No one to help her, no one to hear her scream, just a deserted street and five thugs chasing her and slowly but surely catching up.  
  
She made a sharp right into a alley hoping to lose them. At the end of the alley she made a left and then a right. She continued running down the long narrow alley, stopping only once when she had tripped over her long skirt, ripping it slightly. She ran until she came to a brick wall. A dead-end! 'Oh no!' Lorelei thought frantically. 'I'm trapped.'  
  
"Nowhere to go?" Came the sinister voice from behind her. She whipped around to find angry faces watching her with an evil glint in their eyes that told her she was going to wish she was never born. As she took in their size and the way they were now standing, ready to all jump on her at once, she knew she couldn't take them all.  
  
"Help!" Lorelei screamed in a last attempt to find someone to help her.  
  
"No one can hear you, girl, you are gonna apologize for what you did to my face." Lorelei, realizing she was doomed, wasn't about to go down without a fight. She got into a fighting stance as she said what she hoped wouldn't be her last words.  
  
"I didn't do anything to your face but improve it. It was already ugly and if you want an apology for it, go ask your parents for one." The man turned so red with rage that Lorelei thought he was going to explode. She swallowed hard, maybe that wasn't the best choice of words. Well she had never denied having a big mouth, or a small brain.  
  
~  
  
As Duo walked he wondered why the streets had gotten so deserted all of a sudden. It was very strange to him, for as long as he could remember, every street of this colony had always been bustling with people.  
  
"Weird." He said aloud as he looked around for any sign of life. Suddenly a fear-filled cry broke the stillness.  
  
"Help!" Duo froze. That voice, it couldn't be, could it? He took off in a run toward the source of the yell, praying that he wasn't already too late.  
  
~Owari~  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Whoa. Kinda scary ne?  
  
*audience is silent with shock*  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: It wasn't that bad was it?  
  
*audience is still silent*  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Hey...*she hops off of the stage and pokes one of the audience members....setting of a chain reaction of all of the audience members falling over and their heads popping off* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *she faints*  
  
*Wufei walks out on stage cackling*  
  
Wufei: Got you that time onna! *he laughs and goes over to poke her with his katana....as he does.....she explodes* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I KILLED THE IDIOTIC ONNA!!!!!!!!!! *he faints*  
  
*Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl walks out with Duo, both are laughing their full heads off*  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: *she is wiping away tears of laughter* hahaha! He actually thought he got me! Hahaha!....wait....did he call me an idiotic onna? Why that no good.....  
  
*Duo interrupts her*  
  
Duo: Um, aren't you supposed to be doing something right now?  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Huh? Oh yeah! Hey guys! *waves at the real audience that was hiding in the back* *they wave back* sorry about all that stuff before. ^___^ anyway, I finally finished this chapter and updated! Woohoo!!!! *notices the audiences glares* ehehehe....sorry I haven't updated in so long! I have been so busy! Grr....anyway, I'll spare you the whole rant of why my life is so hectic....okay then, moving on.....thanks for reading my story and please review! Okie dokie! Until next time! Don't forget to review! Now to go show Wufei why he shoud not mess with "idiotic onnas".......Muahahahahaha!!!! *looks around, bows and skips off stage.....dragging the unconcious Wufei behind her*  
  
Duo: Um...I think I better go make sure she doesn't hurt Wu-man too badly.....*audience stares* I mean, uh....I better go help her!  
  
*audience applauds as Duo hurries off stage*  
  
o_______~ 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!  
  
Warnings: Not reviewing a story is a serious health risk. (o__~)  
  
Other stuff: LOOK I UPDATED IN LESS THAN A MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *applause erupts* Thank you, thank you! Now enjoy the story! ^_______________^  
  
What If - Chapter 11  
  
By: Fyre_faerie_gyrl  
  
Lorelei felt her heart leap in her throat as they closed in tighter. There was no escape. 'I'm gonna die.' She thought as one of the men whipped out a knife. 'Isn't my life supposed to be flashing before my eyes right now?' She wondered idly as she pressed her back against the brick wall. It was very strange to her because she could think of only one thing at the moment, and that was Duo. One man lunged for her and she quickly nailed him on the back of the neck, unfortunately that left her unguarded from behind and the next thing she knew she was pinned against the wall with a knife to her throat. The man leaned in close, his breath reeking of some very strong alcohol.  
  
"Listen up sweetie and listen up good. I am a nice guy so I'm gonna cut you some slack. I know all of this was probably just from the shock of such a great opportunity to have a good time with me and my boys. So, just give me a kiss and we'll forget the whole thing." Without a second thought, Lorelei spat in his face. The man holding her slammed her head against the wall and her vision swam.  
  
"So you want to do it the hard way eh? Hold her steady boys! Two more men joined the first who was restraining her and the one with the knife grinned. He lowered the knife to the neckline of her dress.  
  
"You won't be needing such restraining garments for tonight's game!" The other men cheered in approval. Lorelei struggled hard.  
  
"Let go of me! Stop!" That earned her a slap.  
  
"Quiet dear. No one can hear you and even if someone did they know better than to interfere with us." With that he sliced down the front of her dress and it fell open. The men who had eagerly been watching in anticipation groaned.  
  
"Oi! She's still got a slip on!" One complained. The knife was raised once again and Lorelei squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to watch. She waited for the ripping sound that was inevitable, but it never came. She opened her eyes to see two of the men staring into the darkened alley attempting to spot what had knocked out two of their comrades. Her breath caught as a figure emerged.  
  
"Duo!" The fear that laced her voice terrified her. Duo took in her current state of dress and then turned his fury filled eyes on the remaining men.  
  
"If you value your well being, you'll let her go." Duo said in a low menacing voice. The knife was once again on her throat.  
  
"What are you gonna do if we don't pretty boy?" The man beside her snarled as he released her arm. The man holding her other arm did the same as the one with the knife took hold of her and pressed slightly harder on the blade. The two larger men advanced on Duo. One let out a bark of a laugh.  
  
"Ha! I could take this stick boy all by myself."  
  
"Go ahead." His friend encouraged. With a sinister grin the man pulled out some brass knuckles and quickly slipped them on. Then, not wasting a second, he threw a hard punch at Duo who effortlessly dodged it. Duo then grabbed his arm and threw him high over his shoulder into a wall where the man slid bonelessly into a dumpster. The other man charged at Duo.  
  
"Why you little rat!" Once again Duo quickly disposed of another adversary. As he dropped the unconscious man he turned his eyes once again on the man who still had Lorelei.  
  
"Don't come any closer, or she dies." Duo's eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. Lorelei held her breath as the man suddenly jerked, cutting the sensitive skin on her neck. She felt the warm blood run down her neck and she shivered. Duo stopped in his tracks. "I mean it punk. Don't come any closer. In fact, get out of the way. This little girl and I have some partying to do."  
  
"This is your last warning." Was all Duo said.  
  
"Move it kid!" The man screamed, he sounded desperate. In one swift movement Duo pulled out a gun and fired, the man screamed in pain as he grabbed his shoulder. The knife clattered to the floor, Lorelei was not far behind it. Duo was there in an instant, rendering the man unconscious and then kneeling beside Lorelei.  
  
"Hey....Are you all right?" He laid a tentative hand on her trembling form. Without warning he suddenly found his arms full of a sobbing girl. He gently held her as she cried, stroking her hair and telling her it would be okay. As her sobs subsided Lorelei began to mentally yell at herself for being so weak as to cry over something like this. She was safe now, there was nothing to cry about. Yet, the near death experience had her in shambles, and pressing closer to Duo was all she could do to keep from screaming. She laid her head on his sturdy chest and relaxed slowly in his strong arms. She felt so safe. She raised her eyes to look into his.  
  
"Duo?" His eyes met hers. Her voice quivered. "Thank you for saving me. If you hadn't been there they would have...."Duo placed a finger on her lips, effectively silencing her.  
  
"Don't think about that. You're safe now and that is all that matters. You know I would never let anything happen to you right Crazie?" She nodded as her eyes welled with tears again. As they silently fell she looked away.  
  
"You must think I'm a terrible coward. I can't even stop crying and the danger has been over for a while." Duo eyes widened with surprise.  
  
"No! I don't think you are a coward at all! If anyone is a coward it's me...." Lorelei gave him a puzzled look.  
  
"You? Why....?" She was interrupted by a groan from one of the men.  
  
"We should probably get out of here." Duo said as he helped her to her feet. All of a sudden it began to rain. Lorelei cried out in shock and hurriedly tried to cover her slip that was quickly becoming nearly transparent. Duo realized her dilemma and quickly averted his eyes as he removed his coat and handed it to her. He was blushing again. 'Curse it! I can't stop blushing when I'm around her. She must think I'm a fool as well as a coward.' Duo thought unhappily. Too bad he hadn't noticed Lorelei's blush as well. Once she was sufficiently covered they began to quickly exit the alley.  
  
Once out they still found the streets to be deserted. Duo was obviously perturbed by this.  
  
"Man. When I was little almost everyone in the entire colony would be outside when it rained. Not everyone had water you know, just the rich. The rest of us had to catch water in whatever we could and then make it last until the next rain." Duo's eyes got a far off look. He looked so sad and lost, she had never seen Duo look like that before. On an impulse she slipped her hand in his and gave him a gentle squeeze as though to say, "I'm here for you Duo." He looked at her in surprise and blushed, as did she, and they both walked that way for a long time. With the mutual understanding that they always wanted it to be this way, and yet both knowing that it never could without a miracle.  
  
~  
  
"Injustice!" Wufei's voice could be heard echoing through the dance hall. It seemed to halt everything and the room stood in shocked silence. The group of girls that had been surrounding him back a ways off giving him a swift exit and he ran into the men's room with a resounding slam to the door. The musicians exchanged looks before hurriedly playing their instruments again. The crowds eventually got over the shock but continued to whisper about it long after. Catherine, however, was laughing the entire time. When she sat down at the table she was still on the verge of tear from laughing so hard.  
  
"What happened?" Quatre asked worriedly, "is he alright?"  
  
"He's fine...." Catherine said as she began to forcefully squash her laugh, although every once in a while she would still erupt in giggles. "He just doesn't like all those girls around him. Who would have ever thought the reason he hates women so much is because he's SHY?" She burst into laughter again.  
  
"I'll go see if he's okay then." Quatre said as he rose from his seat.  
  
"I'll come too!" Jin said as she once again linked with Quatre's arm and dragged him towards Wufei's current sanctuary. Heero and Trowa both stared at Catherine who just shrugged.  
  
"Don't think just because that's the men's bathroom that that will stop her." They watched the over-excited Jin and the bright red Quatre enter the men's room together. Not too late after Wufei's angry shout of "Injustice!" echoed through the building again.  
  
~  
  
"Sir, we've surrounded the building and confirmed that all of the pilots have entered it and none have been seen exiting. Request permission to advance." The communicator crackled for a moment.  
  
"Granted." With that, the signal was given, and the men advanced toward the building, guns drawn.  
  
~  
  
The rain began to lessen as they reached that park she had gotten lost in before. Lorelei felt her cheeks burn at the thought. Suddenly she felt very self-conscious in nothing but a slip, a coat, and bare feet. Her shoes had long since been dropped during her chase. She sighed, it wasn't as if she were cold or anything, it had surprised her how warm it had been, but she still couldn't help feeling....dumb. Then the rain stopped. Duo noticed her eyes wandering through the park and smiled.  
  
"Want to go for a walk?" He grinned. She grinned back.  
  
"Arf! Arf!" She laughed at Duo's expression until he responded with a "good girl, now where's that leash....?" Then she playfully smacked him with the hand that wasn't holding his. 'That's funny. I forgot that I was holding his hand.....It just feels so natural....' With that they headed into the park.  
  
~Owari~  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Look! I updated in less than a month!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Wufei: Silence onna. This chapter was complete injustice!!! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT I'M SHY!!!!!!!  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: you're not?  
  
Wufei: NO!!!!  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Then I'm sure you won't mind giving a few of your fangirls a hug?  
  
Wufei: N-no....I-I wouldn't mind....  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Great! C'mon up girls!!!  
  
*tons of girls jump up on the stage*  
  
*Wufei begins sweating profusely*  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Eww.....  
  
Wufei: *looks terrified at the girls closing in* INJUSTICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
*the girls jump ten feet away*  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Ha! I knew it! Admit it Wuffie or I'll let them hug you!!!!!  
  
Wufei: NOOOO!!!!!! I ADMIT IT!!! I ADMIT IT!!!!!  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: What do you admit?  
  
Wufei: *very quiet* I'm shy.  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: What?  
  
Wufei: *slightly louder* I'm shy.  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Do you need a hug for incentive?  
  
Wufei: I'M SHY!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: *grins* knew it. Okay girls that's enough.  
  
*the girls sulk and go back to their seats*  
  
*Wufei breathes a sigh of relief*  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Hey Wuffie?  
  
Wufei: *growls* what, onna?  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: How come you're not shy around me? *she pokes him*  
  
Wufei: Because you are so guy-like in every way, no one could possibly mistake you for a girl. I only call you onna because to call you by your name would mean I respect you which I....*notices Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl's portrait of fury....*  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: You. Die. Now. *whips out bazooka*  
  
*Wufei runs.... Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl is right behind him*  
  
*Quatre comes out*  
  
Quatre: Um....due to the fact that our authoress is busy trying to kill one of the main characters I will be making the announcements. *ahem* *looks all noble and such* Thank you to all who have read and reviewed the story so far. Don't forget to review and have a great day. Thank you. *bows politely*  
  
Fangirls: AWWW!!!!!!!!!! He's so cute! Let's huggle him!!!!!!!  
  
*they rush the stage*  
  
*Quatre screams in fear and runs*  
  
*Duo comes out in a Porky Pig costume*  
  
Duo: *stutters* That's all folks!  
  
*curtains close to thunderous applause and Duo laughing*  
  
Duo: *squeals* I ain't got no pants on! *does a jig*  
  
A/N: sorry about all of the randomness but I was given a giant bag of pixie sticks and well....you've seen for yourselves what happens.....o_____~ 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!  
  
Warnings: Not reviewing a story is a serious health risk. (o__~)  
  
Other stuff: Thanx for the spelling corrections from both Riot Lorelai and Katt!!! (I know I really stink at spelling! Sorry everyone, try and bear with me! I think without spell check I might really horrify some people.....) ^__________^  
  
What If - Chapter 12  
  
By: Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl  
  
As they walked through the park, Lorelei began to notice the way people stared at her appearance. She squirmed uneasily under their disapproving looks. She lowered her eyes and continued to fidget. Every once in a while glancing up only to see more stares.  
  
Duo noticed her self-conscious actions and realized she was embarrassed about her lack of clothing. He just gave her a reassuring smile before pulling off his own shoes and socks and then tossing his tie into oblivion. Lorelei watched wide-eyed.  
  
"Better?" She answered with a shy smile of gratitude. As they continued to walk they came to a small hill and at the bottom beside a fountain there was a small quartet of violins playing for coins. Surrounding them was a small group of people, some were dancing. Lorelei looked at Duo, who must have seen them, and noticed he was now avoiding her eyes. Lorelei felt discouraged. 'Maybe he really doesn't want to dance with me.' That's when Duo lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. Lorelei immediately flushed and looked up into his eyes in surprise. She could see the nervousness dancing in his eyes.  
  
"Would you care to dance?" Lorelei felt herself go weak in the knees but she forced herself to remain upright.  
  
"I'd love to."  
  
~  
  
It was getting close to the end of the charity ball. People were either getting ready to leave or they were trying to get in a few more dances before being forced to return back to their normal lives. Catherine had managed to gather everyone back at the table for one last toast. Just as they raised their glasses, a beeping sound arose.  
  
"What is that?" Catherine asked, her voice slightly annoyed because her toast had been interrupted.  
  
"My security alarm." Heero said calmly, drawing his gun from who knows where. Then the lights went out.  
  
~  
  
At some point during their first dance Lorelei laid her head on his shoulder and he in turn laid his head on hers. Some of the people below had seen this couple dancing on the hill, barefoot and half-dressed, and yet they could only describe them as the most perfect couple they had ever seen. Then the music stopped.  
  
"That's all for tonight folks. We'll be here next week at the same time and place so be sure to come back." With that the musicians began to pack their things. Even so, Lorelei and Duo did not even notice. They merely continued to waltz in time with their combined heartbeats.  
  
~  
  
People screamed. There was immediate chaos. The announcer's voice could be heard telling everyone to stay calm, but it was a futile effort. Suddenly the lights flashed back on, revealing at least twenty armed men surrounding the group of people. Wufei grinned.  
  
"Finally. Something entertaining to do." Catherine managed to glare at him before turning her eyes back on the soldiers.  
  
"I'll take the ones near the front." Heero stated.  
  
"I'll take the west side." Quatre offered. "And you Trowa?"  
  
"Back."  
  
"That leaves the east for me." Wufei said cracking his knuckles.  
  
"Right. Let's go." Heero said as he dashed towards the front. The others also went in their respective locations. Jin turned to Catherine for an explanation.  
  
"Um...they've done this sort of thing before.....they um...."  
  
"Are the Gundam pilots?" Jin finished for her.  
  
"How?....."  
  
"I kinda guessed it. Also, the others in the circus told me about Trowa, so I kinda figured it out for myself."  
  
"Oh." Jin grabbed her arm suddenly as an idea hit her.  
  
"We should help. Let's try and sneak some people out. Or at least get them to safer location than in the wide open middle!"  
  
"Okay." Catherine agreed.  
  
"You go that way and I'll go this way."  
  
"Fine." Catherine hurried away not noticing that Jin headed towards the darkened hallway instead of towards the people.  
  
~  
  
It was Lorelei who noticed first that there was no music. Partly because she couldn't hear it anymore and partly because she could now hear Duo humming a sweet song loud and clear. He must have noticed soon after because his humming ceased, much to Lorelei's disappointment.  
  
"The music stopped." He said quietly.  
  
"I know." They both reluctantly stopped dancing and pulled apart. There was an uncomfortable silence before Duo bowed.  
  
"Thank you for the dance, milady. You have honored me greatly." Lorelei smiled.  
  
"Oh no, kind sir knight, it is I who has been honored." She emphasized this statement with a curtsey. Duo chuckled before plopping down on the ground and patting the grass beside him.  
  
"Would you care to sit beside me?"  
  
"No." Duo gave her a hurt expression. "I'm just kidding. Don't look like that!" She said as she sat down beside him and laid her head on his shoulder. 'Boy, am I getting bold.' Lorelei thought to herself. Duo didn't seem to mind though because he placed an arm around her and pulled her closer. Lorelei let out a contented sigh. Duo felt himself blush.  
  
As Duo sat there with her he realized he knew next to nothing about this girl, and yet he had never felt closer to anyone. To him she was perfection and he couldn't believe that she was there with him, laying her head on his shoulder and allowing him to even remotely touch her. He knew in his heart that he could never let her go, because if he did, he would die inside. 'Can this be?' Duo wondered, 'Do I.....love her?' He felt Lorelei cuddle closer and Duo realized he wanted nothing more that to hold her tight. 'Yes, I do. I love her.' He looked down at her, memorizing every single feature on her face. 'I love you.'  
  
~Owari~  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Whoa. That was a short chapter.  
  
Duo: Sure was.  
  
Quatre: Yes, it was.  
  
Trowa: .....  
  
Heero: Hn.  
  
Wufei: decided to spare your readers some agony eh?  
  
*WHACK*  
  
Wufei: OUCH!!!!! INJUSTICE!!!!!!  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Actually Wufei that was justice. You insulted me and I gave you what you deserved.  
  
Quatre: Actually Wufei, she's right. Don't you agree Heero?  
  
Heero: Hn.  
  
Duo: Go Fyre!!!!  
  
Trowa: .....  
  
Wufei: .......wha?.....but you can't.......quit messing with my head onna!!!!!!  
  
*he runs offstage screaming something about how the world is gonna end cause it's the sign of the apocalypse......an onna serving justice was just too much for old Wuffie.....(Wufei: THAT'S WUFEI!!!!!!!)*  
  
*offstage a banging noise is heard*  
  
Duo: sounds like Wufei's trying to make a dent in the wall with his head again.  
  
Fyre_Faerie_Gyrl: Great. We better go stop him before he damages his brain even further that it already is.....(o______~) Take over guys!  
  
*she and Duo run off the stage*  
  
Heero: Hn.  
  
Trowa: .......  
  
Quatre: eep.  
  
*Jin pops out of nowhere*  
  
Jin: Hello everyone! Remember to review okay??? Thanx for reading!!!!! Bye!!!!! *Picks up Quatre and dashes off of the stage*  
  
Heero: Hn. *stalks off*  
  
Trowa: ........  
  
*audience gasps*  
  
Trowa:......!!!! .....?........  
  
*audience "ooooos!!!!"*  
  
Trowa: .........*backflip, triple twirl, full layout, front handspring* .......... *Trowa bows*  
  
*audience gives a standing ovation as Trowa leaves the stage*  
  
A/N: Hey everyone! ^_______^ I was just thinking that since I update so sporadically, perhaps I should have a mailing list. So, if you want to be on it say so in your review or e-mail me, K? Alrighty then! Until next time! 


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!

Warnings: Not reviewing a story is a serious health risk. (o)

Other stuff: Welcome back to the long lost story What If! I really need to update faster….oi…..

What If - Chapter 13

By: FyreFaerieGyrl

People were darting in every direction, like roaches when a light is turned on. Try as she might, Catherine could not get them to calm down enough so she could sneak them out. She let out an exasperated groan and just stood in the middle of the writhing mass of scurrying people. Just then, someone elbowed her hard, knocking her to the floor, with a thundering herd of mindlessly scared people coming at her. There was no time! She'd be trampled! She covered her head and squeezed her eyes shut in preparation for the pain. Suddenly, just as the people were about to turn Catherine into a human pancake, some strong arms wrapped around her cowering body, and ripped her off of the ground and out of harm's way. Her eyes snapped open and she looked at her rescuer.

"Wufei?" She practically shrieked. His eyes were full of fury.

"Quit trying to get yourself killed, onna! Some people are so stupid! I've never seen such a stupid onn….."Catherine interrupted him with a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Wufei! You saved me!" She tried to hug him again but he stopped her by grabbing her shoulders and holding her at arm's length. He was bright red.

"Stay out of the way onna!" And with that he was gone in a flash looking very flustered.

* * *

"Sir?" the lieutenant's voice crackled over the radio.

"What is it?" the commander growled back. The lieutenant hesitated.

"The girl and 02….well….they're gone, sir."

"What?" The commander roared. "Find them! Find them now!"

"Sir, we have information, sir. A waiter we questioned said he saw they leave by jumping off of the balcony. We've sent a team after them, sir."

"They jumped off the…Never mind. You better bring me that girl or you have a special date waiting for you with the firing squad."

"But sir!" the connection went dead. The lieutenant hurriedly contacted his team. "Find them! Get that girl at any cost."

* * *

Lorelei was admiring the night "sky". Apparently at night they project an image of the universe onto the "ceiling" of the colony.

"Aren't the stars beautiful Duo?"

"Beautiful." Duo wasn't looking at the stars.

"Duo….." Lorelei playfully poked him. "You aren't even looking at them." She looked into his eyes.

"I know I'm not." Duo felt his heart thudding painfully in his chest and slowly working its way up his throat. He swallowed heart in an attempt to keep it down. It thudded harder. He took a deep breath. "Because….I'd rather look at you." He watched her eyes widen in shock. He began mentally cursing himself in every language he could think of. 'Now she'll never want to see or speak to me again. What was I thinking?' Lorelei looked down, blushing. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…..'

"You would?" she asked in almost a whisper. She looked up shyly and gave him a hopeful smile. His heart stopped. 'She's not angry?…..' He gently took her hand in his and summoned all of his courage as her looked deep into her eyes.

"More than anything else in the world." Her eyes sparkled and she smiled the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

"Oh Duo, that is the most wonderful thing I've ever heard….." she stopped mid-sentence because Duo had placed a finger over her lips. Then he gently cupped her cheek in his hand and guided her closer. She willingly leaned in and they kissed.

She could hear music! Trumpets blared, birds were singing, people were cheering, and Lorelei could have sworn she heard fireworks. 'I'm so happy! He feels the same way I do!'

As their kiss went on the "fireworks" grew louder. Too bad they weren't fireworks.

* * *

BOOM! A side of the ballroom was reduced to rubble. Since the gundam pilots had been fighting back, reinforcements had been called in. Namely, a tank. The tank now aimed its gun at the people who were now cowering against the opposite wall. The gundam pilots stopped in their tracks. The foot soldiers now backed up and stood on either side of the tank. One of them laughed.

"Not so tough now eh?" He aimed a gun at Quatre. Trowa glared calmly.

"If you pull that trigger, it will be the last thing you ever do." Trowa was looking him right in the eye. The man faltered slightly, but as he glanced back at the tank he grinned and cocked the gun with renewed confidence. He aimed.

"Bye, bye, Blondie." He began to pull the trigger, and dropped dead. He fell and joined the other lifeless bodies of his comrades. Everyone was in silent shock. Catherine voiced what everyone was thinking.

"What happened?" Yells of surprise and then pain erupted from the tank. Everyone's eyes went to the tanks wide open door at the top. Since when was it wide open? Suddenly a person dressed in all black emerged and stood at the top of the tank. It was a ninja of all things. The mask it wore completely hid its face from view. It bowed to the crowd and then threw down a little black ball that spewed smoke. When the smoke had cleared the ninja was gone.

The pilots ran to check the fallen soldiers and found them all to be dead as doornails. Heero leaned in close to one and pulled something off the person. The he stood up, examining what he had found.

"Poisoned needles." He stated.

"Who was that?" Catherine asked. Trowa shook his head and then turned his sister to face him.

"Cathy, could you please help the people to get out of here. The building might not be able to hold itself up for very much longer." She smiled.

"Okay, Trowa." She started to walk away and then suddenly whipped around. "Wait a minute, where's Jinn?" Quatre's eyes widened.

"Wasn't she with you?" He asked worriedly. He vaguely wondered why his heart was pounding so hard. Suddenly a high-pitched scream rang out and they all froze.

"Jinn!" Quatre cried as he ran towards the sound of yet another scream. 'Please be okay.'

* * *

Owari

* * *

FyreFaerieGyrl: Yay! I finally updated! It only took a hundred years…..

Duo: You're pulling my leg!

FyreFaerieGyrl: No, I'm serious!

Duo: So am I! Leggo of my leg!

FyreFaerieGyrl: _looks down to she that she has in fact got his leg_ whoa. _she lets go of his leg and he falls over_

Duo: owie….

_FyreFaerieGyrl looks at him_

FyreFaerieGyrl: Omigosh! Do you realize that this means that I haven't glomped you for a hundred years?

_SUPER GLOMP!_

_Duo glomps back_

Crowd: awwwwww!

Duo's fangirls: BOOO!_ hiss growl_

_Quatre suddenly walks out looking rather upset…._

FyreFaerieGyrl: What's wrong Quat?

Quatre: Is she gonna be okay? _his eyes are wide and hopeful…..he looks adorable_

FyreFaerieGyrl: I can't tell you Quat, that would ruin the surprise.

Quatre: _tears well up in his eyes_ but…. _he gives her his most adorable theres-no-way-you-can-say-no-to-this-face look_

FyreFaerieGyrl: _covers her eyes and runs off stage_ must not look at the face!

_Quatre hurries after her, his face still going full power_

Duo: um…yeah….thanks for reading everyone! Remember to review! Just press that button! You know you want to!

_he bows and runs off_

_his fan girls give him a standing ovation and many faint because his greatness was just too much to take…..(think Elvis fans…..hahahahaha….)_

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'll update on Friday so don't forget to come back! o


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!

Warnings: Not reviewing a story is a serious health risk. (o)

Other stuff: Welcome back to the long lost story What If! I really need to update faster….oi…..

What If - Chapter 14

By: FyreFaerieGyrl

Another scream erupted from the hallway, this time it sounded as if the person was in serious pain and slowly, painfully dying.

"Jinn!" Quatre yelled. When he reached his destination, he stopped short, his mouth hanging open at the sight before him. As the others caught up their reactions were nearly the same….except for Heero who merely raised an eyebrow.

Jinn was right in front of them sitting on the back of one of the soldiers who had attacked the ballroom. She was twisting his arm hard behind him at a very painful looking angle. As she twisted harder, he let out another high-pitched shriek of pain. The young man noticed the arrival of the G-boys and Catherine first. He began to struggle as though his life depended on it, which it kind of did. Catherine started laughing, more out of relief than humor, and the others allowed grins and smiles to form on their faces as well. Jinn just gave them a weird look before yelling at them.

"Don't just do something! Stand there! wait….um….you know what I mean! Help me out, would ya?" Quatre was at her side in an instant and helped to further pin the squirming soldier. Heero knelt beside her as well, while Wufei and Trowa stood behind him with their arms crossed. Heero addressed the soldier.

"What was your mission here?" The soldier's eyes burned with determined hatred.

"We are the Crimson Avengers! We avenge while wearing crimson!" He paused for effect. "We will take back what is rightfully ours by taking over the world!" Jinn oooed, Catherine awed, and Heero just gave an annoyed snort. (and the authoress laughs……sorry…..it's just too cornball for words)

"That's not what I asked you. What was your mission?" Heero's voice held a hint of the promised pain for the soldier should he refuse to answer. Wufei cracked his knuckles. Trowa blinked…..menacingly. The soldier swallowed hard.

"I can't tell you." The blood vessel that had been slowly enlarging on Wufei's forehead burst. Without breaking a sweat he ripped the soldier out from under both Quatre and Jinn, sending them flying, and slammed him against the wall.

"Answer the question or your body will soon be the color as your disgusting uniforms!" Wufei had lifted the soldier into the air by his collar as the soldier kicked his feet feebly. The soldier could tell Wufei was serious, dead serious.

"Okay, I'll tell you." He managed to squeak out before being dropped unceremoniously to the ground. "We were here for the girl." He looked at Jinn warily.

"Who? Me?" Jinn looked utterly baffled.

"No. The one who had been with you. She is now with 02." This confused them all but it was Heero who voiced the question.

"Why her?" Heero demanded. The soldier shifted nervously before grinning maliciously.

"It shouldn't matter. The others probably have her by now. Now you know the power of the Crimson….." Wufei knocked him out and then growled his annoyance.

"Wait!" Jinn cried. "I don't understand! Why Lorelei?" Heero gave a nod to the others. Catherine noticed and quickly grabbed Trowa's sleeve.

"Trowa?"

"We have to go Cathy. Take care." Catherine released his sleeve with a look of resignation.

"You take care, too. And bring Lorelei back safe, ok?" Trowa nodded with a small smile of pride for his sister, she was letting him go, knowing it was something he had to do. She had come a long way from the overprotective, worry-wart she used to be. Then he ran off with the others and as Catherine watched them leave she noticed Jinn at their heels.

"See ya later Cat!" Jinn yelled back. "I'm gonna help."

"Wait! Jinn! You can't…..oh…..Be careful!" Catherine yelled after her. 'Be safe.'

* * *

Lorelei and Duo broke apart from the kiss and then Duo pulled her in close, just to hold her, as she laid her head on his solid chest. She snuggled into his welcome warmth. 'He loves me, he loves me, he loves me, he…..loves…..' Lorelei felt her heart stop and then sputter as her brain caught up with her heart. 'He….he is.…he's an anime character…..' Duo must have felt her tense because he spoke up. 

"Is something wrong?" Lorelei pulled away from him and got to her feet. Tears formed in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "Lorelei?" Duo looked stricken but she couldn't bring herself to comfort him. Her heart was breaking and it hurt to breathe.

"It's not real." She said quietly, as her hands started to shake. She looked at Duo. "You're not real." Duo's eyes widened.

"What are you…..?" Lorelei dropped to her knees and started to sob. Duo got up to help her but she flung herself back.

"No! You're not real! You're a figment of someone else's imagination! You're a cartoon! You're….!" She was silenced as Duo enveloped her in a strong hug. Her body was rigid for a moment before she relaxed against him, still sobbing.

"Lorelei…..I don't understand what's wrong…..tell me what's going on…..I can help you…." Duo said as he gently stroked her hair. Lorelei only continued to sob. "Please….I love you."

'And I love you……oh why must I love someone I can never have?……who doesn't exist?' She held him tighter. 'He feels so real, and yet I know….'

"Let go of me Duo." She said very calmly, so calmly it scared her. "You can't help me. I'm stuck in an imaginary world filled with imaginary people, and you're one of them." She knew she sounded really crazy now. "You can't help me." She felt he heart shatter at those words. She couldn't see his eyes any longer. He had bowed his head in a way so that his bangs concealed his eyes, and his emotions. 'Why does this seem so familiar?' She gasped. 'My dream (authoress note: see chapterfive if confused)…..this is just like my dream……' She stood looking at him, waiting for the floor to shatter beneath them when he suddenly lifted his head and spoke.

"Yes I can." He looked her straight in the eye, and then began to choke on the blood that had begun to flow from his mouth.

* * *

owari

* * *

FyreFaerieGyrl: Whee! I updated! In less that a year…..i think….maybe by a day or so…….YEAH! 

Crowd: Whoa.

_FyreFaerieGyrl does a celebration dance_

_Wufei walks out…..he notices FyreFaerieGyrl's dance_

Wufei: _looks scared_ somebody call a hospital! She's having a seizure!

FyreFaerieGyrl: _growls_ Wuffie….I'm dancing, not dying!

Wufei: Could have fooled me!

FyreFaerieGyrl: Grr….SECURITY!

_Heero walks out….. FyreFaerieGyrl points to Wufei……Heero picks him up and tosses him out the nearest window…..(don't worry, it's only the second story and he's young…..fit…..unconscious……)_

_Heero comes back onstage and waits expectantly_

_FyreFaerieGyrl smiles and hands him a pair of scissors_

FyreFaerieGyrl: You earned them!

_Heero grins scarily before running offstage_

FyreFaerieGyrl: Wow. He really wanted those scissors…..but I wonder what for…...oh well…..Anyway, thanks for reading and remember to review! Reviews are excellent for inspiration!

_Duo's voice suddenly pipes up from backstage_

Duo: Hey Heero! Um…I wanted to ask you…..you aren't still mad about the whole painting you gundam pink thing are you? It was just a joke after all…..um….nice scissors….what are they for?…..hey…..what're you…?…….AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

_Duo runs onstage screaming and clutching his braid as though his life depended on it_

Duo: He's trying to cut off my braid! Help me!

Heero: Hold still baka!

_Duo and Heero start running in a continuous circle around the stage……Duo running, and Heero steadily gaining_

_FyreFaerieGyrl, fearing for Duo's braid, sticks out a leg as Heero runs past, effectively causing him to trip and fall on his face_

Heero: _drawing a gun out of nowhere_ Omae o korosu.

_FyreFaerieGyrl grabs Duo and runs offstage_

_Heero starts to get up_

FyreFaerieGyrl: _shouting from offstage_ all you fangirls of Heero……he's giving out free hugs today!

Fangirls: EEEEEEEEEEEE! _they rush the stage_

_All you see is a writhing mass of girls and sometimes one of Heero's limbs sticking out_

_FyreFaerieGyrl comes back onstage and surveys the carnage_

FyreFaerieGyrl: He's not gonna be happy where he gets out of there…..so I better make this quick and then get out of town…..Thanks again for reading! Please review! Bye!……not for good I hope…._gulps_

_Duo's gundam suddenly smashes onstage, the hatch opens, FyreFaerieGyrl jumps in with Duo, and off they fly_

_Oooo……maybe they can go to Hawaii or something……hehehe..._


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!

Warnings: Not reviewing a story is a serious health risk. (o)

Other stuff: Welcome back to the long, long, longlost story What If! I really need to update faster….oi…..

What If - Chapter 15

By: FyreFaerieGyrl

Lorelei's mouth fell open in a silent scream. She watched the blood trickle from the corners of his mouth with horror. An odd gurgling sound came from Duo's throat as he tried to talk. 'No…..' She watched his hand clutch at his chest where a giant blood stain had started to form.

"No….." She heard herself say in barely a whisper. Suddenly he crumpled to the ground as his blood began to pool around him. "No! Duo!" She forced herself to move, and she propelled herself forward, arms outstretched. She was about to touch him when she was suddenly roughly pushed to the ground. Lorelei felt whoever had her twist her arms painfully behind her back while others grabbed her legs. She was completely pinned with no hope of escape. She jerked her head up and saw that she was right in next to Duo. So close she could almost have kissed him. As they bound her arms and legs, she struggled as hard as she could but there were too many holding her. Once again she looked at Duo.

"Duo….?" He wasn't moving. He hadn't moved since he'd fallen. His eyes were still open wide, but they were blank and unseeing. They glared at her accusingly as though to say "you did this to me, you didn't believe in me."

She was suddenly violently tugged off of the ground. They were taking her away from Duo, and she couldn't do anything about it. "Duo! No! Let me go! Please! Please let me go! Duo! Duo!" Amidst her pleas and sobs, the men, she had now identified as some kind of soldiers, dressed in bright crimson uniforms, laughed. One of them stepped forward and gagged her.

"Just keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you." Another man threw her over his shoulder as yet another administered a syringe to her arm. Almost immediately her eyes began to droop as she was taken away from the one she loved. Their crimson uniforms matching the color of Duo's blood and mocking her as she fell into darkness.

* * *

Heero checked the tracker again and directed the group towards the place where Duo's locater gave off its signal.

"We're close." Heero stated. Suddenly, Jinn screamed and they soon saw the reason why, before them lay an unmoving Duo in a pool of his own blood. His eyes stared unseeingly at them. Heero quickly checked for a pulse, as the others held their breath.

"Call Sally." That was all the other pilots needed to know that Duo was still alive. Wufei immediately whipped out a communicator to call for help. Jinn on the other hand was thoroughly confused and slightly angry.

"Call who?" Jinn demanded. "Look I don't know what you guys think you're doing but Duo needs to go to the hospital now! You don't have time to call all your friends and celebrate that he is still barely alive! What are you thinking?" She would have gone on but Quatre interrupted her with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"She's a doctor and she is on our side so she can help us without too many questions being asked." Quatre calmly explained. Jinn nodded but still didn't look as though she approved.

After relaying the news to Sally the Gundam pilots now had one task: Make sure Duo stayed alive long enough for help to arrive.

* * *

"Are you sure that's her?"

"Yes sir."

"Ungh….." Lorelei awoke to strange voices bantering back and forth.

"So, girl, you're awake are you?" The statement was followed by a sinister chuckle. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a very creepy looking old man, also dressed in a crimson uniform, except his had a Napoleon hat to complete his ensemble. Lorelei just stared for a moment, then her eyes widened in realization.

"Duo!" Lorelei yelled as she sat up quickly, and leapt off of the metal table she was on. Unfortunately, whatever it was they injected her with had left her very weak and she crumpled to the floor. "Duo….." she whispered as tears began to trickle down her cheeks. Two men suddenly walked over and roughly lifted her back into a seated position on the table. The old man laughed at her sorrow but then suddenly grew very serious. He slammed a book loudly on the table beside her and she qazed at it with a bewildered expression.

"My Gundam Wing book!" This caused the old man to smile.

"Good. So you recognize this. Excellent. So you can tell me how to work that machine so I can rule the world!"

"What are you talking about?" Lorelei asked with a slightly fearful look. This man was crazy.

"So you won't talk, eh? No matter. We already have the scientist who built the machine and now he'll talk when he sees we have you. He cares for you so much it's sickening, and yet it gives me a great advantage." The old man grinned. "Guards! Take her to him."

"Who's him? Hey! Let go of me!" The two guards paid her no heed and easily dragged her from the room and then blindfolded her.

* * *

When the blindfold was removed, Lorelei found she was standing in the doorway of a very dimly lit cell. She was shoved in and the door was slammed shut and locked behind her. She peered into the darkness but saw nothing because her eyes were still adjusting to from the bright light of the hallway to this barely lit room. Suddenly one of the shadows in the corner moved and then moaned. The shadow coughed, a horrible sounding cough that told her this person was very sick, then it began to come towards her. Lorelei pressed herself against the wall as she locked her eyes on the spot the cough had come from. The shadow was coming closer.

"Lorelei?" It rasped out as the person reached the dim light. Lorelei was struck with horror as she beheld her dear little friend and annoyance, on his hand and knees weakly crawling towards her. His eyes had dark circles beneath them and he was so pale it frightened her.

"Matsu!" She cried as she gathered him into her arms and sobbed. He just collapsed into her embrace and fell into much needed sleep, feeling for the first time, safe enough to do so.

* * *

Owari

* * *

Fyrefaeriegyrl: Poor Matsu!

Duo: Oh…..I kinda forgot about that kid…..

Fyrefaeriegyrl: Oh who asked you anyway? You're supposed to be dying so no talking!...and play dead while you're at it!

Duo: Okie Dokie….._He does a dramatic death scene, falls flat on his back, jerks a little and then lies still..._

Fyrefaeriegyrl: Okay….._Duo sits up..._

Duo: How was that?

Fyrefaeriegyrl: Great…..

_Duo grins happily and resumes death……just as Wufei walks in…… _

Wufei: Maxwell's dead?

Fyrefaeriegyrl: Yep.

Wufei: But….he had so much to live for! And I never got to tell him he was one of the best friends I ever had! And I didn't hate him nearly as much as pretended to!..._sobs_

_Duo gets up and bear hugs him……_

Duo: So you do care! I knew it!

Wufei: Maxwell? You're not dead?

Duo: Nope! _Grins _Ol' buddy!

Wufei: Maxwell…..

Duo: Yes, friend?

Wufei: I…..I'M GONNA KILL YOU!

_Wufei pulls out a lightsaber and chases Duo offstage………_

Fyrefaeriegyrl: Oi……anyway, thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! I gotta go now now and never let Wufei get away with the fact that he actually LIKES Duo! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Bye!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!

Warnings: Not reviewing a story is a serious health risk. (o)

Other stuff: Welcome back to the long lost story What If!

What If - Chapter 16

By: FyreFaerieGyrl

The next few days for Lorelei were mostly a blur of interrogation sessions that would usually end with her being roughly thrown back into that dark, dank cell. The soldiers were getting angry because they weren't getting the information they wanted out of her or Matsu . They couldn't get it out of her because she didn't know anything and they couldn't get it out of Matsu because he was hardly ever conscious and when he was he couldn't really understand what was going on. Lorelei blamed it on the fever, which only seemed to get worse by the day. She had begged her captors to take him to a hospital but they refused until they had all the information they wanted.

Luckily there was one guard with a heart. He brought Lorelei water and some soft cloths to help bring down Matsu 's fever, along with some medicines and a few extra blankets. Unfortunately the medicines didn't seem to be working, he was just too sick. All she could do was dab at his face with a cool cloth and pray that Matsu wasn't going to die. She gingerly touched her swelling cheek where she had been struck not to long ago by an impatient interrogator and shivered. Their patience was running out and it only seemed to be making them more violent.

Matsu suddenly coughed, hard enough to make his whole frame shake, and then he moaned and opened his eyes that were glazed from the sickness. Lorelei tried her best not to cry as she plastered what she hoped was a warm and reassuring smile on her face. His eyes seemed unfocused at first, but when she moved to wipe more of his sweat away his eyes locked on her.

"Lor…" He tried to say her name but it only induced another bout of those horrible coughs. He rolled over on his side and she gently patted his back, watching him helplessly.

"Don't try to talk okay, Matsu ? You need to rest so just….." She was interrupted as he suddenly launched himself into her arms. He was shivering and as he started to cough again she could feel the way they wracked his body. Lorelei felt tears begin to rise unbidden as she watched the pitiful sight. She quickly wrapped her arms around him and held him close, partly to comfort him and partly to keep him from seeing her tears. She had to be strong if they were going to get through this and he had to believe that she was strong enough. Lorelei suddenly thought of Duo. The way he had smiled, the way he laughed. She remembered how he held her, even as she cried, even when she showed what a weakling she was. 'Duo….I'm so sorry….' The tears were starting to blur her vision, but she quickly blinked them away. Matsu was coughing again.

* * *

Sally let out a long sigh as she rubbed her temples. How was it that these boys always were in some kind of mortal danger? Why weren't they allowed to lead normal lives like everyone else? They were so young, and yet they had lived so much more life than any other person on the planet, at least in Sally's opinion. As she looked around at their faces, her heart bled for them. It was Quatre who finally asked the question they were all dying to ask, but too afraid to for fear of the answer. 

"Is Duo going to be okay?" For the past couple of days now Duo had been in and out of surgery and intensive care and no one had been able to talk to Sally until then. To everyone's relief Sally finally nodded in affirmation.

"Actually he's pretty much just going through the healing process now. We had initially thought he had been shot though the lung but what we actually found was a dart. The dart was filled with a type of poison that paralyzes the body. Normally he would have just been unable to move but since whoever shot him was using a very high powered gun the dart went in a little too deep hence the blood. We patched and drained his lung so after he recuperates he should be doing well." Sally nodded again as if to once again affirm what she had just said. Suddenly her face turned serious. "Now, about the girl, Lorelei, do you know why they might have taken her?"

"No." Heero answered, as straight-to-the-point as always. Jinn gave him an annoyed look.

"Does that really matter? What we need to do is find out where she is, instead of why she's there! She could be dead by now for all we know!" Heero just looked at her.

"I know where she is." Heero said as he once again pulled out the tracker. "I placed a tracer on her because I didn't know if we could trust her or not." That just seemed to fuel Jinn's anger.

"Then why aren't we saving her?!?" Jinn practically screamed.

"Because we have to plan first. This is a new enemy and we need to know what we're up against." Trowa answered calmly. Jinn seemed deflated.

"But we can't just leave her there. You guys don't know how pathetic she is! I watched her circle this same bench for hours when she was trying to find her way back to you guys. She would have continued to do it if I didn't help her!" The guys all just stared for a moment before Sallly suddenly giggled. Within seconds there were all laughing, well Heero smirked. Sometimes in a tense situation all you can do is laugh. When it grew quiet again Wufei spoke up.

"Don't worry about her. She's tough for an onna. Besides, it not like we're not going to rescue her, we just need a little time." Jinn grinned evilly.

"Wow. I didn't know you cared. I can't wait to tell her." Wufei blushed.

"I didn't mean in like that and you know it! INJUSTICE!!!"

* * *

Lorlelei sneezed. 'Weird, guess someone's talking about me……' Lorelei slowly opened her eyes and looked around, feeling very disoriented. 'I must have fallen asleep.' She looked down at Matsu who was still fitted snugly in her arms. She gently brushed a hair out of his face as his eyes slightly opened. He suddenly looked away from her. 

"I'm sor…." He coughed. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't built it…." He couldn't stop the coughing. Even though he was barely speaking in a whisper, the coughs assailed him.

"It's not your fault this happened. Don't blame yourself." But Matsu wasn't listening anymore. He had fallen back into his feverish sleep.

"Don't leave…..please?" He murmured as Lorelei shifted in order to remoisten the cloth. He trembled as he weakly tried to pull her closer. Lorelei felt her heart ache for him. She gently cuddled him closer, while dabbing softly at his forehead.

"It okay, Matsu. I'm not going anywhere." She said softly as she gently stroked his hair. "And don't worry, I'll get us out of here somehow. So just hold on a little longer for me, okay?" She hadn't expected a response, Matsu had already lost consciousness again, still desperately, yet weakly, clinging to her. "What am I going to do?" She felt the tears coming again, burning the corners of her eyes. She blinked them viciously away, as she steeled herself to continue her lonely vigil.

The leader of the Crimson Avengers was angry. No he was far beyond that, he was positively livid. They had in their possession a machine that could very easily help them take over the world and yet they had no idea how to use it. The stupid little brat and his girlfriend refused to talk, ad now the little rat was going to die before they could make him spill his secrets. It seemed like the girl didn't know anything but he wasn't entirely convinced. After all, the girl had already used the machine once, without the help of the little pain.

Originally he had thought to use the gundam pilot to make the girl talk. She had seemed very fond of him. Unfortunately, one of his idiot lackeys had used a much too high powered gun to shoot the tranquilizer darts and had killed him. So that idea was out. Perhaps, it was time to use more convincing methods of persuasion. He felt a manic grin spread over his face.

"Bring me the girl and brat. Now!" He yelled to the nearest man. "Oh and invite our party group. Tell them it's time to have some fun and play piñata." Somehow his grin became even more sinister. He loved the color of fresh blood, and soon he would bathe the world in it.

* * *

Owari

* * *

FyreFaerieGyrl: sits up out of a coffin and moans I'm allllllliiiiiiiiiiiivvvveeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! _audience stares in irritation_ okay, so maybe that was a little too dramatic. I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long! Please forgive me!!! I swear I'll make it up to you! I'll update very, very, very soon! And if you haven't noticed, I actually updated this time with two chapters. Shocking I know! 

Wufei: extremely shocking. You are usually such lazy onna.

_FyreFaerieGyrl bashes him with a mallet_

FyreFaerieGyrl: wow that felt good! I haven't done that in forever! Thanks Wu-man!!!!

_Wufei just gurgles in response_

FyreFaerieGyrl: anyway, please review and then have fun with the next chapter!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: No I do not own Gundam Wing or any of its characters, though I wish I did!

Warnings: Not reviewing a story is a serious health risk. (o)

Other stuff: Welcome back to the long lost story What If!

What If - Chapter 17

By: FyreFaerieGyrl

Jinn found herself looking at each of the gundam pilots faces again for what seemed like the millionth time since they had lapsed into a tense silence. She couldn't take this much longer, the silence was driving her crazy. She watched as Heero slowly blinked again and realized that she now knew the average amount of times he blinked per minute. That did it.

"That's it! I've had it! Why haven't you come up with a plan yet? We've been sitting here doing nothing for forever! We have to do something now! Anything! Lorelei needs our help! She…..she….." Jinn burst into tears. Quatre quickly rose and wrapped her in what he hoped was a comforting embrace, while looking pleadingly at the others. Heero's eyes flickered to them and then to Duo's prone, unconscious form on the hospital bed. It was hard to believe that that helpless person was really the gundam pilot who referred to himself as the god of death. He was hooked up to too many machines and there were various tubes snaking all over him. It was disconcerting to say the least.

"Okay." Heero finally said while turning his laptop for everyone to see. "I've finished creating a diagram of the building where she is being held. I was able to hack their data base and find out where they are keeping her." The other pilots leaned in to get a better look. Even Jinn had stilled her sobs to soft sniffles and silent tears to pay attention.

"Security looks tight." Trowa commented as Heero also brought up the live security camera images he had also managed to obtain. Heero nodded.

"This is why I've decided them best time to carry out this mission would be tomorrow at midnight, the guards should……." Heero didn't get to finish his sentence because of Jinn's growl of anger.

"You mean to tell me that you're going to wait yet another day to rescue her? What is wrong with you people???" Jinn ripped herself from Quatre's embrace and stomped to the door. "I'm going out for some air." Even though she had spoken calmly, it was obvious she was furious. She slammed the door as she left.

"Onnas always overreact." Wufei said with a huff of annoyance. Jinn's voice was suddenly heard through the door.

"I heard that you girly chinese man!" Wufei snapped in about .21 seconds. Luckily both Heero and Trowa had whipped out their guns which caused him to halt in his rage rampage.

"Sit down." Heero stated calmly. "I need to finish debriefing you on the mission." Though Wufei was angry, he certainly was not a fool. He sat down quickly and watched the guns return from whence they came. Wufei cleared his throat.

"Continue Yuy."

* * *

Lorelei suddenly snapped awake. Apparently she had fallen asleep while sitting up again. She had been doing that a lot lately. She felt herself instantly tense when she heard footsteps approaching the cell. The door suddenly banged open and six soldiers filled the cell. She found herself being yanked to her feet and Matsu being torn from her arms despite her struggles. 

"Stop it! Let go of me!" She watched Matsu's eyes slide open and then widen in horror when he realized the situation.

"Lorelei?" Matsu whispered fearfully. The guard closest to him backhanded the sickly child without even blinking an eye. Lorelei screamed in fury as Matsu's head snapped to the side and he began to cough violently.

"Leave him alone you monster! He's just a kid!" the guard just grinned as he whipped around and grabbed her jaw hard enough to leave bruises in the shapes of his fingerprints. She couldn't stop herself from letting out a small sound of pain, but she continued to glare him down, she would not show fear. Out of the corner of eye she saw Matsu go limp as he fell unconscious once again.

"Quiet girl. You'll get your turn soon enough." He grinned. "Besides, I don't know what you're getting all worked up about. After all, you've just been invited to a party, and we are here as your official escorts. We wouldn't want to lose the guests of honor." With that the guards dragged them from the cell.

* * *

"It seems like a sound plan to me." Trowa said when Heero had finished. 

"I agree." Quatre added, but then he lowered his gaze. "Though I do wish we could do this sooner." He glanced toward the door. "I'm going to see if I can find Jinn…" He got up and gave them a small smile as he left the room.

"We should inform Sally of our plans." Wufei said as Quatre disappeared. "She could send in backup should we need it though her connections." Trowa and Heero nodded and stood.

"We should also call the nurse. Duo's I.V. is getting low." Trowa said as he looked at Duo. "Get well soon my friend." He said as they exited the room.

They had just finished briefly explaining their plans to Sally when a loud, shrill scream echoed down the corridor of the hospital. They burst out of Sally's office to see Duo's nurse come running frantically out of Duo's room. She screeched to a halt in front of them, panting and out of breath.

"He……He's gone!" The pilots' eyes widened as they took in the news. They hurriedly ran into Duo's room just to find that he was in fact actually gone. The window was wide open and causing the odd colored curtains to flutter in the slight breeze, it was the obvious exit.

"He took my laptop." Heero stated, almost angrily as the angry beeping of monitoring machines filled air.

* * *

Owari

* * *

FyreFaerieGyrl: shocked he took Heero's precious laptop??? 

_audience gasps in horror_

_Heero stomps onto the stage and gives FyreFaerieGyrl his very best glare of death_

FyreFaerieGyrl: eek!!! um….don't blame me….you're the one who left it unattended…..I uh….Um…..hey is that your laptop?

_Heero whips around to look and FyreFaerieGyrl takes that as her cue to make a very hasty exit_

FyreFaerieGyrl: Thanks for reading everyone and please review!!!!!!!!!!! And now if you'll excuse me I have to run for my life!!!!!! Meep meep! _runs away road runner style while Heero whips out his gun and the curtains close_

Dun dun dun! Lol Review please!


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